What is the oldest winery in Margaret River?
Vasse Felix, planted in 1967, holds the title of the region's oldest winery and first vineyard. Its founding story, and what to expect if you visit today.
Every wine region has a first mover, the vineyard that went in before anyone knew whether the ground would deliver. In Margaret River that vineyard is easy to name and hard to argue with. It was planted in 1967, decades before the region became a fixture on wine lists, and it is still open to visitors today.
What is the oldest winery in Margaret River?
The oldest winery in Margaret River is Vasse Felix, planted in 1967 as the region's first commercial vineyard. Every other estate here came later. Vasse Felix proved the South West of Western Australia could grow serious wine, and it remains one of the region's most decorated names, ranked the No. 1 winery in the 2026 Halliday Top 100.
There is no real dispute about the title. Vasse Felix went into the ground in 1967, ahead of the wave of founding estates that followed through the 1970s. Being first here meant taking a genuine risk: no one had proven the region could make quality wine, and the pioneers were betting on climate research and instinct.
That bet paid off in a way few first movers ever manage. Nearly six decades on, Vasse Felix is not a museum piece but a working leader, topping the Halliday Wine Companion Top 100 Wineries list for 2026. The oldest name in the region is also, right now, one of its very best.
The historic estate sits in the region's north, an easy stop on a guided tasting day. A smaller-group premium day is paced to linger at the higher-end and landmark cellar doors rather than rush a long list, which suits a visit built around the founding names.
Why is Vasse Felix considered the first?
Vasse Felix is considered the first because it planted the region's first commercial vines in 1967, ahead of every other estate. The other founding wineries, Moss Wood, Cullen, Cape Mentelle and Leeuwin Estate, all followed through the 1970s. Vasse Felix therefore holds both the earliest planting date and the title of the region's original vineyard.
Timing is the whole argument. The founding order in Margaret River is usually told as Vasse Felix first in 1967, then a cluster of committed families through the following decade. The exact planting years of the others are often muddled in the retelling, so the safe and honest line is that they all took root in the 1970s, close behind the pioneer.
| Milestone | When |
|---|---|
| First vines planted at Vasse Felix | 1967 |
| Other founding estates established | Through the 1970s |
| Informal districts mapped by Dr John Gladstones | 1999 |
| Vasse Felix ranked No. 1 in the Halliday Top 100 | 2026 |
Because the founding estates cluster loosely in the north, especially around Wilyabrup, seeing them in one day means short hops by road rather than a walk. The full backstory of the region's start sits in the five estates that founded Margaret River, and if you want to plan a route, how the subregions are laid out shows why the historic names are grouped where they are.
For travellers based in Perth without a car, the oldest estate is still within reach. The whole region as a long day trip from Perth threads a founding-winery tasting and the Wilyabrup coast into a single day, with the long drive handled both ways.
Can you visit the oldest winery in Margaret River?
Yes. Vasse Felix runs a public cellar door and is one of the region's most-visited estates, open to walk-ins and tour groups alike. Because the founding wineries sit 10 to 25 minutes apart and are not walkable, and Western Australia's 0.05 blood-alcohol limit rules out self-driving between tastings, most visitors arrive on a guided small-group day.
The estate keeps a full cellar door with tastings, and a dedicated guide covers the visitor side in the full look at whether you can visit the Vasse Felix vineyard. For a day that pairs the landmark rooms with quieter, lesser-known makers, the mix is up to you, and which cellar doors are worth the drive helps balance the headline names against the boutiques.
Return visitors who have already done the founding estates often turn to the small-batch side of the region instead. A six-hour boutique day with a blind tasting stays off the big-name trail and leans on lesser-known cellar doors, a good counterpoint once you have ticked off the historic ground. The full range of small-group wine tours all start from the same handful of pickup points.
Common questions
How old is the Margaret River wine region?
The modern wine region dates to 1967, when the first vines were planted at Vasse Felix. That makes the industry younger than many people expect, roughly six decades old, yet it already produces more than a fifth of Australia's premium wine.
Is Vasse Felix still open to visitors?
Yes. Vasse Felix runs one of the region's busiest public cellar doors, open to walk-ins and tour groups. Because it sits well outside walking distance of other estates, most visitors reach it by car or on a guided small-group day.
Which founding winery came second?
The honest answer is that the exact planting years of the estates after Vasse Felix are often muddled in the retelling, so it is safest to say Moss Wood, Cullen, Cape Mentelle and Leeuwin Estate all followed through the 1970s rather than to rank them by a single disputed year.