Mongrel Creek Vineyard is a hidden gem set amongst the bushlands on the outskirts of Dunsborough in the Margaret River region. Owner Larry and his wife Shirley first started the quaint family run business in 1996, with the cellar door running for the past eighteen years.

The primary focus at Mongrel Creek Vineyard is on producing quality wine at an affordable price. The cellar door provides a genuine small winery experience which is appealingly simple. Larry is friendly and welcoming to every guest and delivers a personal touch while enjoying a chin wag to go along with each tasting.

The environment is charmingly old fashioned, with the cellar door situated in a rustic Australian tin shed. The chickens running free range around the property and the attention-grabbing display of old tools and artifacts creates a vignette into the past and a sense of family history that gives a refreshing change from the bigger more commercialised wineries in the region.

With two and a half hectares under vine, the vineyard produces around eight varieties each year – including lovely whites, reds, roses, and sparkling – but it is the uniquely Australian sparkling shiraz that brings guests back time and time again.

A true Australian wine icon, sparkling shiraz has a history in Australia that traces back to the 1880’s. There are only a few wineries in Australia that carry the varietal, as only winemakers who truly love it tend to produce it. It’s the additional storage and handling that goes into creating this wine that makes it less profitable than still wines – it is typically made using the same process as champagne with a secondary fermentation in the bottle to create the bubbles.

Mongrel Creek Vineyard is an award-winning winery with an interesting take on their achievements, believing everybody has won something, so it all gets a bit boring in the end. People should choose their wines based on their own taste, not someone else’s.