Two weeks ago, I headed down to Margaret River for the long weekend. It’s always wonderful to have the extra day off work. And with the wonderful weather we had, well, I reckon we are spoilt living in Perth, if this is meant to be ‘winter’ in 2015.

I went with a group of friends who were also keen to go surfing so we managed to do both; surf and go to wineries as well as relax. On the Saturday we headed to Credaro on Caves Road. I had tasted a few wines from Credaro at the Gourmet Escape last November but didn’t know much about them until I heard some great reviews about them last month and their venture into beer, more about beer another time…so this time, I headed over there. A lovely bright tasting room with a few gifts (as well as wine) available to buy, we had the opportunity to taste through the range. Although the family behind Credaro have had some involvement in winemaking since the 1920s, it wasn’t until 8 years ago that they started making wine under their own label, ‘Credaro.’ Their range of wines are very affordable from $18 to $45 per bottle. With such a lovely afternoon, we should have brought a picnic to have on the balcony overlooking the vineyard with a few glasses of the wine.

We headed over to Windows Estate just down the road. I’ve been here before but I really enjoy their whites so I couldn’t quite pass without dropping in. I love the idea of a small family run vineyard succeeding in the face of so much competition and large brands. I find their whites have such wonderful texture, due to the fact that much of it sees fermentation in barrel with some lees stirring. On the day we went it was the launch of the Yallingup Cheese Company with a range of bries and soft cheese, they looked delicious, I should have stocked up on the day!

The day after we headed to Fraser Gallop for their pop up cellar tasting. Fraser Gallop only open their cellar door by appointment so I was excited to see on Twitter, while I watching the surf at Smiths Beach, that they had a ‘pop up cellar’ which meant that their full range of wines, from the 2002 were available to try at their cellar door! We rushed down, we didn’t speed, to taste through their range. Some of our group were keen for a surf before dusk so we couldn’t taste everything but we did grab a few deals. I bought the Parterre Chardonnay 06 and 07 at $27 and $22 respectively and the 06 Parterre Cab for $15 and the 2014 Semillon SB at $17. Buying in a mixed dozen case with a few friends meant these great discounts. Assistant Winemaker Kate as well as Sales Manager Nigel were on hand with the rest of the team to answer any questions we had.

After tasting we headed over to Redgate beach for a sunset surf, the perfect way to end a great weekend.