This past weekend I went to Gourmet Escape in Margaret River – what a fantastic well organised event! There were hundreds of stalls which were well spaced out at Leeuwin Estate serving wines, beers, food, cookery equipment. It was impossible to see everything and of course there were the guest chef appearances including Heston!

There were so many wineries and a wonderful mix of people. I really enjoyed meeting the guys behind the label especially from the smaller estate and family run businesses. I loved the different names of the wineries from House of Cards to Snake + Herring and Swings & Roundabouts.

The first stand I visitied was House of Cards. A husband and wife team; Travis and Liz, they were enthusiastic, friendly and told me how they started the winery and talked me through their wines. Their 12 hectare vineyard of 17 year old vines produces 60 tonnes of grapes which is 5000 cases (so 60,000 bottles). 2011 was their first harvest and the wines deliver at their price point. I love the names; “The Queen of Diamonds” for their sparkling, the “Joker” Sauvignon Blanc and their “Queen of Hearts” Chardonnay. The wines range from $21 to $35.

Next up I popped over to the Fraser Gallop stand. They cover 165 acres in Wilyabrup in Margaret River. Talking and tasting the wines from Phil at Fraser Gallop was great – we tried through the range with Phil explaining the different styles and brands in the Fraser Gallop range. On tasting was Semillon Sauvignon, Parterre Sauvignon Semillon, Chardonnay, Parterre Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Parterre Cabernet Sauvignon.

Next up were the wines from Grace Farm. It’s a very new winery to the scene, only 7 years old with fruit from the Wilyabrup sub region. I tried the Sauvignon Blanc Semillon and Cabernet Sauvignon. A small vineyard and in such a short space of time has wine quite a few accolades; the 2012 Sauvignon Blanc Semillon won a bronze in the Decanter World Wine Awards. For the reds, not only did the 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon win a gold medal in the Australian Boutique Wine Awards September 2013, the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon was awarded the Mann Judd trophy at the Perth Royal Wine Show.

Redmond Sweeney and Tony Davis make up the team at Snake + Herring. I was familiar with a few of their wines before the show and was able to taste a larger selection at the show; Riesling, SBS, Chardonny, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and a Cabernet Blend. They had an interesting Facebook competition going at the time – you had to tell them in 25 words or less where you like to in the south-west and why. I should have answered it – just couldn’t think of an imaginative enough sentence to win the Christian Fletcher photographic print.

What I loved about the Gourmet Escape (apart from trying the wines) was that you could meet the people behind the label – the marketing team and the winemakers.

Ross Dawkins, Assistant Winemaker at Stella Bella took us through the range. Having visited Stella Bella two years ago and attending a tasting at Must in the spring, I was already familiar with their wines but I enjoyed trying them again with information about the wine styles.

Plan B! has an interesting and funky look and their website is pretty cool too. Bill Crappsley has had a long history in the trade and set up Plan B! with others in the trade and over the years they have developed listings worldwide.

Ever since moving to WA over two years ago, I had seen and tasted a number of wines from Swings & Roundabouts. At Gourmet Escape I had the opportunity to speak with Joffrey, the cellar door manager about the range and taste a selection.

Other wines on tasting were from Celestial Bay, Credaro, Capel Vale, Tassell Park, Ashbrook Estate, Settlers Ridge, Nannup Ridge,  Cape Grace  and Harewood Estate. And not forgetting the beers, one stand I visited was Bootleg Brewery, a microbrewery based in Willyabrup.

I forgot to mention the food – for all those foodies out there, there’s plenty to explore and taste. Roll on the next Gourmet Escape!