Capel Vale is a winery located just off the Bussell Highway about 25 minutes north of Busselton. Capel Vale is a 5-star winery for James Halliday in his 2012 Australian Wine Companion.
Established in 1974, by Dr. Peter Pratten and Elizabeth his wife and was one of the pioneering wineries in the region. Capel Vale has since expanded beyond it’s original Geographe location to including vineyards in Mount Barker, Pemberton and Margaret River.
Restaurant overlooking the vines.
I went to Capel Vale for lunch late at the start of this year and it was a delightful and relaxing experience. The food was delicious and fresh with the view over the winery making the long lunch pleasant and enjoyable. As can be seen in the image above, the winery’s restaurant and cellar door is located in an elevated building which overlooks the vineyard. I sampled their range of wines when I was at Capel Vale this time and I enjoyed their regional range which I am yet to see in a store in Perth.
BF and I ended up heading to Capel Vale for lunch on the way back to Perth after being down for Gourmet Escape and enjoying their ‘Char sui braised lamb shoulder with sour cream labna and wattle seed roll’. While the lamb wasn’t on the menu at the restaurant we still had plenty of options from their spring menu and specials board.
Whispering Hill Riesling.
Both of us ended up having a glass of the Whispering Hill Riesling with lunch. We both ended up picking from the specials menu. I had the barramundi with pan fried gnocchi while BF had a 250 gram scotch fillet with seasonal vegetables. Both were nice, the gnocchi was a little too heavy for the fish, however the side salad with goats cheese and walnuts went very nicely with both of our meals. The service at Capel Vale was excellent! The staff were attentive and friendly, really could not have asked for anything more regarding their service!
Barramundi with pan fried gnocchi.
Scotch fillet with seasonal vegetables.
Spinach, goats cheese and walnut salad.
Capel Vale is definitely a nice location for lunch and a wine tasting. And located between Busselton and Bunbury just off the Bussel Highway; Capel Vale makes for a good stopping point as your drive between Perth and the South-West.
Until next time.
GourmetVicariously 