Cape Mentelle Behind The Scenes Tour with Food & Wine Pairing

Arrival at the cellar door by 11.20am for an 11.30am start. You are welcomed by our tour guide and HiVis Vests are offered to be worn for safety. 5 minutes

The tour guide leads the group across the public carpark and into the Wallcliffe cabernet sauvignon vineyard established in 1970. The location of Cape Mentelle is discussed along with the current viticultural practices that highlight the wine style created through our maritime regionality. Standing amongst the third planted vineyard in the Margaret River region sharing stories created by the vision of founder David Hohnen and his brothers is both informative and visually breathtaking. 20 minutes

At 11.55am we leave the vineyard and walk back towards the cellar door and across to the winery. Climbing a set of stairs into the red cellar, we head to the fruit receival area where during vintage one can see the grapes being processed. The differences between white and red grape processing is highlighted with visual points of reference when appropriate and available in the working winery environment. 10 minutes

We walk back out of the red ferment cellar and into the barrel hall, which holds all our wines that are maturing in oak barriques. The wine making process i.e. primary and secondary fermentation along with the importance of oak selection, integration and the use of a Nomblott egg is discussed. 10 minutes

We then walk to the white cellar which can have many hoses, pumps and ladders to be aware of in order to taste out of tank a parcel of juice or unfinished wine that shows a point of interest relevant to the time of the year. 10 minutes

The tour guide then leads the group carefully through to the historic cellar built in 1977 where several original large French oak vats stand proudly in the first registered rammed earth building in Western Australia. 5 minutes

To complete the walking component of the tour you will then visit the original cabernet cellar which showcases 150 oak barriques surrounded by our historical timeline in a rammed earth setting. This is the venue for our annual International Cabernet Tasting benchmarking our current flagship Cabernet Sauvignon amongst 20 other cabernets from countries such as France, Italy, United States and Australia.

Guests are invited to freshen up before sitting at the table in the Cabernet cellar for the food and wine pairing. A food and wine flight consisting of 6 canapés and 6 current release wines of 40 ml pours in Riedel glassware along with a spittoon, water and reference booklet, is set out for each person. A seasonal canapé menu highlighting local produce is presented. Any dietary requirements can be catered for and bookings are essential the day prior.

A guided interactive and educational experience that takes one through a flight of white and red wines both from an in depth tasting perspective and food pairing discovery. 60 minutes