Now Open: Wayfinder Puts Down Roots in Central Dunsborough With a Striking Cellar Door and Kitchen

The Margaret River region is famed for its spread of cellar doors, all with the common goal of celebrating the region’s diversity of fruit and wines. As a relatively fresh face to the region, Wayfinder has set out with lofty ambitions to launch its wines to market with a beautiful urban cellar door and restaurant in central Dunsborough.

The site will be familiar to locals as the former home of local burger haunt Bayside Burger Bar. But the Wayfinder team has extensively renovated and restyled the space. A polished aesthetic by Kerry Hill Architects emphasises clean lines and soft, earthy tones and textures.

Wayfinder has enlisted Colombian-born Andres Felipe Montiel as head chef, who brings with him globetrotting experience that includes time cooking in Buenos Aires, Melbourne and Saudi Arabia; and his South American heritage has weaved its way into several dishes.

“We’ve crafted the list to offer lots of flexibility; you can order a few snacks to enjoy with a glass of wine, or multiple courses to share,” Wayfinder business manager Leah Clearwater tells Broadsheet. “It’s all about farm-to-plate and our menu changes regularly.”

That menu includes fresh produce from Wayfinder’s vineyard and farm in Cowaramup, alongside locally sourced meat and seafood. A ceviche, for example, might feature amberjack from northern WA, lightly cured and served alongside a zesty leche de tigre sauce. Lamb cutlets are grass-fed and lifted with a chunky chermoula, velvety hummus and pops of pomegranate seeds.

When it comes to wine, Wayfinder wants to emphasise the cellar door experience. Tastings are encouraged and the venue celebrates its locally produced Wayfinder range alongside that of its sibling vineyards: Swell Seasons in Margaret River and Small Wonder in Tasmania. “Our venue is really all about wine. Wine tasting, wine pairing, wine with food, wine with friends,” says Clearwater.

Locally born head winemaker Andrew Trio has done stints in South Australia, New Zealand and Washington (state), while Yan Vaucher oversees vineyard management, after seven years at the famed Juniper Estate.

The range includes a generous and composed chardonnay, a sappy, red fruit-driven malbec and a bright, citrusy sauvignon blanc. There’s also a smattering of imported European bottles, with an impressive and approachable by-the-glass list. “These wines from France, Italy, Germany, Hungary and Austria are there to offer intrigue, complexity and a broader wine experience for our guests,” says Clearwater.

Across the group’s three vineyards, grapes are grown to organic principles with the aim of celebrating the purity of fruit. Integrating organic practices extends to the farm-grown produce that features on Montiel’s menu, too. Honey, herbs and vegetables are cultivated alongside Wayfinder’s 40 hectares of grape vines, with more produce in the works.

Wayfinder
239 Naturaliste Terrace, Dunsborough
(08) 9755 2291

Hours:
Thu to Mon 12pm–9pm (Cellar door tastings available up until 5pm)
Tue & Wed Closed

wayfinderdunsborough.com.au