the guide. Clockwise from far left: Sandalford Wines; the tea party pizza at Little Caesars Pizzeria; the tasting paddle at Feral Brewing Company; scenic Perth Hills; sweet treats at Little Miss Cupcake; Darlington Estate Winery and Restaurant; beef fillet with potato and smoked bacon pie at the Rose & Crown Hotel; The Loose Box. swan valley & perth hills & Only a short drive east of Perth, the picturesque regions of Swan Valley and Perth Hills make great RiveRBank estate down-to-earth cafe. There are seven wines sandalfoRd Wines day trips, thanks to their established wineries, relaxed cafes and a growing number of food producers. RiverBank boasts unspoilt views across a for tasting, with the chardonnay and WA’s oldest family-owned winery offers valley of vines, and a wine list brimming fortifieds our favourites, although the an experience that is at the sleeker end WORDS matt pReston PHOTOGRAPHY maRk RopeR with their own labels. With a menu that late-picked chenin blanc and sticky of the scale, and its baronial tasting leaps from starters of melting beef cheek on Muscadelle (tokay) are worth putting away. room shows wine made from across the If Western Australia was a Broadway both of which lie only a short drive east of much about pleasing the locals as the a soft polenta cake, or venison tataki with Stay on for a glass of the muscat sipped state. The fine-dining restaurant adds show, Margaret River would be the Perth. The Swan Valley has long been a tourists. For those looking for a relaxed day a pear salad, to mains of chermoula-coated with dried figs in dark chocolate, or perhaps to the opulent atmosphere with a huge name that was up in big lights. But the wine region and Perth’s leafy playground. out, the pace here is welcomingly laidback. chicken and crepes suzette for dessert, a cheese board that features Edgecombe fireplace, solid furniture and snowy white state has more to offer, and those looking Its proximity to the city (and the airport) it’s no wonder this spot is so popular. Best Brothers’ own plump sundried sultanas. cloths. On the menu you’ll find such for a day trip from the capital will find and pretty meadow views have seen it swan valley to book ahead for this one. 126 Hamersley Much of the menu uses their own produce, temptations as spicy merguez sausages that Perth Hills and nearby Swan Valley become the focal point for all styles of food Western Australia’s oldest wine-producing Rd, Caversham, (08) 9377 1805. so depending on the season, you might with tzatziki and honey-glazed eggplant, are areas full of history, with some tourism, from chauffeur-driven luxury to region, Swan Valley still boasts a long have a smoked chicken salad or salmon free-range pork cutlet with green apple absolute gems for food lovers. boisterous coach trips. The Hills, while list of vineyards, plus a range of food edgecomBe BRotheRs with asparagus. There are a number of and walnut salad, or barramundi with There’s a very marked difference rugged, are no less beautiful, but here there producers, cafes and breweries, and There’s something endearingly rough- vegie options, too. Cnr Gnangara & West chive and garlic mash. 3210 West Swan between these neighbouring destinations, is a sense that the food and wine are as something of a roadside institution. and-tumble about this cellar door and Swan rds, Henley Brook, (08) 9296 4307. Rd, Caversham, (08) 9374 9374. 62 delicious. the guide. Rose & cRoWn hotel ham soup. With more than 40 burgers to yahava koffeeWoRks Mark and Tracy Weber have taken this old choose from, our pick is the mighty Cram. The most important thing about this new pub, given it a bit of a spruce up, and turned It’s very good in a way that only a great arrival is that manager Jake McAuliffe it into a fantastic place to eat, drink or stay. burger with the lot can be – but it’s got a pulls a rather good espresso. You’ll Their comfortable 1841 Bar & Restaurant is steak in it, too. Don’t be surprised to see also find a selection of beans, which a top spot to mull over the day’s adventures locals enjoy their burgers in their cars with they’ll roast on site to your specifications, while you debate whether to start with a a bottle of BYO wine! Cnr Meadow and and a store selling every coffee-related dozen freshly shucked Coffin Bay oysters James sts, Guildford, (08) 9377 1378. product imaginable. 4752 West Swan Rd, or the prawn arancini with aioli. For the (08) 9250 8599. main course, we agonised over the choice talijancich Wines of a hunk of local steak with a proper Don’t be fooled by the site-office meRRich estate olive faRm bearnaise, and some rather good sweet appearance. In the tasting room of this The two varietal extra virgin olive oils potato gnocchi in a creamy chardonnay three-generation family vineyard, James made from estate-grown Frantoio and sauce. Dessert is a no-contest – you have Talijancich sells some of the Valley’s most Queen of Spain olives are the main to order the banoffee tart. 105 Swan St, impressive wines. Even if you’re not a attractions here. There are some top oil Guildford, (08) 9347 8100. verdelho fan, try his 2003 Reserve Verdelho blends, too, and they cure their own olives – it might just change your mind. It’s to use in their Med-inspired garden cafe. sittella WineRy and cafe a cracker that’s more about elegance than Merrich Estate Olive Farm, 11111 West With its quiet setting and easy-drinking relentless candied-fruit sweetness. His $25 Swan Rd, Henley Brook, (08) 9296 0750. wines, this is a good spot for a relaxed old-vine shiraz is also well worth a look. lunch of seafood chowder or the 26 Hyem Rd, Herne Hill, (08) 9296 4289. maRgaRet RiveR garlic-crusted rack of lamb. Alternatively, chocolate company just sit with a glass of their unwooded john kosovich Wines Every tourist region needs a chocolatier, chardonnay or sparkling shiraz. The case Even if their chardonnay, verdelho, and and with its giant counter and free to take away, however, is their much- muscat weren’t so well regarded, you’d tastings, the northern outpost of the awarded Silk – a blend of verdelho, still have to come to John Kosovich Wines Margaret River Chocolate Company chardonnay and chenin blanc. 100 Barrett to see their cellar, which was hewn from answers that call. 5123 West Swan Rd, St, Herne Hill, (08) 9296 2600. the ground back in 1922. Most of their (08) 9250 1588. reds are made from fruit from their The sweet-toothed might also enjoy feRal BReWing company vineyards in cool-climate Pemberton. The the Mondo Nougat Factory (640 Great Swan Valley seems to make a habit of raising cabernet sauvignon, in particular, is both Northern Hwy, Herne Hill, (08) 9296 0111). craft ale brewers, but we especially like local and decent. 180 Memorial Ave, the out-of-the-way location of Feral. They Baskerville, (08) 9296 4356. perth hills do a fine tasting paddle of their ales, and Centred around the township of when it’s heaving, the place has a beer hall houghton WineRy Kalamunda, Perth Hills has less of a wine atmosphere. This matches perfectly with With a history that dates back to 1836, focus than Swan Valley, but it’s a great a menu that’s groaning with duck hotpot, Houghton must be one of Australia’s option for keen foodies given that the steak with horseradish mash, and gnocchi most recognised wine brands, largely area has some fantastic finds. Clockwise from top right: beef cheek with a cider-braised pork ragu. The bar thanks to their White Classic, once known on soft polenta at RiverBank Estate; snacks are just as beer-friendly, whether it’s as White Burgundy. While away the time the loose Box RestauRant Mundaring Dam; Sandalford Wines is coconut-crumbed chicken with lime mayo in the wine museum, and check out their As one of Western Australia’s great WA’s oldest family-owned winery; the or barbecued corn with “nutty butter”. 152 bushranger-themed wines under new restaurants – if not its greatest – The Loose Jack Mann cabernet sauvignon from Hadrill Rd, Baskerville, (08) 9296 4657. label, The Bandit. 148 Dale Rd, Middle Box is a shrine to fine dining, yet free Houghton; The Loose Box Cottages. Swan, (08) 9274 9540. from the stuffiness that can mar similar alfReds kitchen experiences in France. Alain Fabrègues No fancy tablecloths here. No tables even. lancasteR Wines draws on his classical French training Alfreds Kitchen is one of Australia’s Here is a total antidote to the big gates and local produce to conjure up a modern quintessential roadside stalls. Since and wine mausoleums of some WA approach to elegant dining. Teamed with opening in 1946, Alfreds has become producers’ cellar doors. Lancaster Wines a genteel ambience, this creates a refined legendary for the open fire on the street is an unpretentious open-air shed with the and detailed journey for the palate. I’m that everyone sits around to eat and the old tasting choices chalked on a blackboard. still thinking about Alain’s truffled egg wood stove where they cook magnificent Aim for the old-vine shiraz. 5228 West and an insanely decadent shiraz-cooked burgers and huge cauldrons of pea and Swan Rd, (08) 9250 6461. beef cheek, which managed to capture 64 delicious.