There’s More Than Meets The Eye At Wayfinder, Margaret River’s New Underground Winery

Margaret River is already well known for its paddock-to-plate dining, beautiful cellar doors and focus on sustainable hospitality. But its latest addition takes that philosophy one step further, with the entire experience built around a simple idea: everything should feel connected.

Wayfinder, the new cellar door, winery and farm-to-table restaurant that’s just opened in Cowaramup, was designed from the outset to bring the land, garden, kitchen and winery into conversation with one another.

The winery is built partially underground, with the earth itself helping to naturally regulate the temperature inside, while a gravity-fed winemaking process helps keep energy use down. Outside, a one-acre Market Garden feeds the menu, with heirloom vegetables, herbs and edible flowers grown using regenerative and organic farming practices. And in the kitchen, ex-Vasse Felix chef Brendan Pratt lets the garden and Wayfinder wines guide what lands on your plate, creating a culinary snapshot of what’s happening here and now.

That same considered approach carries through to the venue’s design and guest experience. From the cellar door, you can look into the barrel room below, and behind the scenes, the working winery has been given just as much thought as the spaces designed for guests.

It’s this sense of connection that makes Wayfinder feel like more than a new place to stop for a tasting. And after visiting for ourselves, we genuinely can’t stop raving about it.

A Kitchen That Speaks To Its Surroundings

Executive Chef Brendan Pratt brings over two decades of experience, spanning London kitchens and, most recently, a strategic role overseeing the culinary direction of Parker Group. But it’s his six-year stint at Vasse Felix that feels particularly relevant to what he’s doing now at Wayfinder.

In the Dining Room, that experience comes through in a five-course set menu and à la carte offering built around the produce growing outside and the wines being made on site. Local ingredients, grown sustainably in the Market Garden or sourced from nearby suppliers like Cambray Cheese and The Farm House, form the heart of the menu, establishing a strong connection to place. Pratt’s elegant execution ties it all together, showcasing technique and creativity with a subtlety that feels both sophisticated and down-to-earth.

“We’re building dishes around the wines by deciding which characteristics to highlight and exploring how texture, acidity, sweetness, and umami express those qualities,” explains Pratt. “We’re also ensuring the menu evolves with the garden and winery to reflect our philosophy of thoughtful farming, minimal waste, and genuine seasonality.”

You can see that thinking play out on the plate. On the debut menu, there’s scallop with smoked eel, celery and tosazu and kangaroo with cavolo nero, macadamia and salt bush. While at the launch event, Pratt plated duck breast with candied parsnip and roasted yeast sauce, alongside fermented root vegetable bread and sheep’s milk butter, potato hash with cottage cheese and parmesan, and a garden leaf salad.

The takeaway after experiencing it for ourselves is just how connected the entire experience feels. Winery, garden and kitchen all singing from the same sheet.

Head Market Gardener Amy Dyson echoed the same message. While taking us on a tour of the garden, she shared how excited she was to be working alongside Pratt. Together, they can plan for all the what-ifs that inevitably arise and build on each other’s ideas. The result is less waste and a more diverse mix of ingredients coming through each season, which gives Pratt plenty to play with in the kitchen.

For a more casual way to experience the garden and its produce, guests can look forward to enjoying snacks and wines on The Lawn from September 25, with Market Garden tours to follow in October.

The Wine Is Just As Thoughtful

Wayfinder’s wine offering is, naturally, front and centre, with its portfolio poured throughout the venue and three cellar door tasting experiences to choose from. There are tastings dedicated to the Wayfinder and Swell Season ranges, plus one focused entirely on Chardonnay, with casual walk-ins welcome at the bar.

There’s something extra special about sipping it in the cellar door while looking through the large glass windows into the barrel room below, giving you a glimpse of the wine’s journey without having to leave your seat.

For those wanting to get a little deeper, a 60-minute guided tasting of the Wayfinder range, complete with snacks, is available for groups of up to 10 for $55 per person. And from October, guests can go behind the scenes with Head Winemaker Andrew Trio, touring the gravity-fed winery before settling in for a tasting in the underground Blending Room and a five-course meal paired with Wayfinder wines.

Going behind the scenes, you start to appreciate just how much thought has gone into the working side of Wayfinder. Anyone who’s ventured into a winemaking shed before will clock how different this space feels. It’s light and airy, with large glass windows that invite the outside in and rows of rather snazzy new stainless steel and concrete fermentation tanks that give the space a sleek, sculptural quality. A nice reminder that the same level of consideration has been given to the functional spaces as the guest-facing ones.

Considered From The Ground Up

From the outside, Wayfinder is surprisingly unassuming. The simple facade is shrouded in greenery, blending seamlessly into the landscape, with only a sliver of the building visible from the bridge that welcomes its guests. Once inside, you’ll find yourself in an understated but rather spectacular cellar door and dining space overlooking the winery below, with a market garden lying just outside.

Designed by Kerry Hill Architects’ Fremantle studio, the interiors bring together Australian timber, natural marble and strategically placed skylights, with a considered collection of Australian artworks throughout, adding another thoughtful connection to the place and people behind Wayfinder.

Keen to explore more of the region’s best? Continue on to Margaret River’s best wineries before checking into Margaret River’s most luxurious stays.