Western Australia: Top five great wineries

Aravina Estate is a winery for the whole family, with a playground and lush gardens - not to mention the exceptional food available. Photo / Supplied

Tickle your taste buds with a tipple or two in Western Australia, writes Megan Singleton.

Mandoon Estate

Mandoon means many trees and this brand new winery has it all. About 20 minutes north of Perth, it has a beautiful beer garden under the trees where families spread picnic rugs and listen to live music while a spit roast sizzles and woodfired pizzas make their way out of the oven. But for fine-diners, the restaurant serves up incredible plates that will turn you into one of those annoying food photographers, and then there's the brewery with its fireplace and packed tables for craft beer lovers.

Vasse Felix

Chief winemaker Virginia Wellcock is a legend in her own right and to have a VIP tasting in the underground cellar with her is a real treat. But aside from that the grounds are studded with sculptures collected by the family's matriarch as you make your way to the restaurant where you can sit upstairs overlooking the rolling vines and let your taste buds be pampered.

Aravina Estate

This eclectic winery has so much more to offer than the fruit of its vines. It's a winery for the whole family. A playground sits beside the lake and lush gardens are being turned into a destination of their own. Inside, owners Steve and Hayley Tobin have their personal vintage sports car collection which brings petrol heads from far and wide and there's a gorgeous homeware store that I drooled over. All that before award-winning chef Tony Howell worked his magic on my plate.

Cullen Wines

At this family-owned biodynamic winery they do all the pruning and harvesting by hand and their reds are best described as fabulousness in a glass. The restaurant showcases much of their home grown, carbon neutral wines and produce, and they offer guided tours of the vineyard. Oh, and if you've tasted too much, you can stay overnight in the homestead.

Lancaster

Boasting one of the best cheese platters in the Swan Valley, Lancaster is a more laid-back approach to what can be the lofty affair of tastings and exclamations. Their outdoor tasting shed is a great spot to meet mates and as luck would have it, just across the road is the Chocolate Factory. Perfect with a bottle of their Old Vines Shiraz.

CHECKLIST

Getting there: Qantas flies direct from Auckland to Perth from December 2014 until April 2015.

For more from Megan see bloggeratlarge.com.