First stop yesterday was in Augusta so we could show Derek and Helen where the Southern Ocean and the Indian Ocean meet. Oh, and to have some morning tea at a very unusual cafe / antique shop. The coffee, scones and homemade sausage rolls were fabulous, but I gave Mick strict orders not to find anything he liked in the antiques department, as our new apartment is going to be very sparsely decorated.

Then we drove on to Witchcliffe, 30 minutes northwards towards Margaret River. Here we stopped at McHenry Hohnen for a tasting. Mick and I had chosen this cellar door / pop-up shop as we have joined this group as Club Members. The little store will eventually be replaced with something more expansive and glamorous in around 2 years time, but they will continue to sell the wines they make using grapes they grow in the area.

The employ biodynamic methods, which involve picking and planting around the phases of the moon, the use of female cow horns stuffed with well-marinated manure buried deep in the ground near the vines, and chooks and sheep to keep down any unwanted pests. While I did study science many years ago at university, this was well out of my league, and basically all I’m interested in is the end products. We left here with a bottle of Syrah. I was thrilled that it was only the one!!

Then we drove on to Edward’s favourite, family-run winery in the area – Firetail. We thought we’d go for a short tasting, but after almost an hour I had to make noises about it being time for lunch. Rob, the owner, was in for a chat. And he and Edward have had many a chat about his wines. Edward is a huge fan of his 2013 Semillon, and we left with a botttle of this for him – a gift from Rob as a farewell present.

We eventually left Rob with the other couple we found in the cellar door. We think they had been there for ages before we arrived, but they were not keen to leave Rob’s company or his free tastings.

Right next door to Firetail is The Berry Farm – Edward’s fiancée’s (Lucy’s) favourite spot for lunch. It was our first time here, although we had tried before on a Monday with Lucy last December, and it was closed (the only day of the week they do not open). The boy’s burgers were huge and Helen and I chose a toastie thinking they would be small. But we were wrong. They too were massive. Never mind, we can work on the excess calories when we get back home next week.

We are booked into a delightful guesthouse in Margaret River for two nights. And after checking and resting, we made our way out to the winery for Edward’s farewell BBQ.

Edward wanted to take us for a ride through the vineyards before the sun set. He was eager for us to taste grapes that we normally drink as wine, and his enthusiasm for this activity came with a certain degree of difficulty.

Fitting into his hire car – a Jimny was a feat and a half. Mick has knees that don’t bend, thanks to playing rugby for too long, and the space in the back seat was definitely not made for three!!

But we did taste some Pinot Blanc, Malbec, Sauvignon Blanc and Petit Verdot. Edward would jump out and pick 5 grapes – one each.

It was a wonderful experience and thankfully no one came out with any injuries. But it did make for a funny sight.

Then came the important part of the evening. Our job was to taste as many different wines while we were there – some quite old and rare.

John, pictured here with Edward and his colleague Vanessa is a pioneer sparkling wine maker. He makes the bubbles for the bulk of the wineries in Western Australia or he has been consulted about how to make the beautiful wine using Methode Traditionale. This was a bottle of his own wine which had been on lees (I think he said) for 8 years.

Then came some speeches and some toasts. Yes with more wine brought up from the cellar.

It was a wonderful evening – thank goodness Edward had pre-booked us a taxi to get home.

Today is our last day in Margaret River – and there will be some more wine tasting by the three amigos. I will be more than happy to drive!!