Australia’s largest state is one of the planet’s 36 biodiversity hotspots and home to the famed Margaret River wine region.
My companions were still asleep as I walked, eyes trained on the roads that separated blocks of the dew-studded vineyard at Ampersand Estates in Peerabeelup, Western Australia (WA). I’d awakened to the rushing of the Donnelly River and an unusual drumming sound, and quickly donned my sneakers to investigate. A three-toed, dinosaur-like print in the ruddy clay confirmed my hunch: wild emus called this place home, just like the western gray kangaroos we’d glimpsed hopping through the vines the evening before.
WA, Australia’s largest state and one of the planet’s 36 biodiversity hotspots, has a fanciful mix of 2,000-plus endemic plant and animal species. It’s also home to the country’s best-known wine region, Margaret River, where storied producers like Vasse Felix and Cullen hold court.
Read the full Food and Wine article below
