Lancaster Wines — Attraction in West Swan

Be Prepared to Chase Your Wine.

If you’re planning a visit to this vineyard for a wine tasting tour, be prepared for a rather unconventional experience. Based on my visit in March, here are some tips to help you navigate what might be an unexpected adventure in wine tasting.

Upon arrival, my group was ushered to a table equipped with wine glasses, an opening bottle, and a welcoming platter of cheese. The initial serving went smoothly, but the experience took a downhill turn from there. Despite staying within an arm’s reach of our original table, I quickly realized that the follow-up tastings were not being served as promptly or visibly as the first.

When I finally caught the attention of a waiter during what was supposedly our fourth tasting (I had only received my second glass at this point), I was informed rather bluntly that I had missed the previous servings because I hadn’t been “chasing her around the bar like the others.” It turned out that to receive my rightful tastings, I needed to actively pursue the wait staff across the venue—a detail that was neither explained at the outset nor expected.

After expressing my frustration about the lack of clear communication and the expectation to chase after service, I received little to no empathy from the staff. Their indifference added a layer of disappointment to an already frustrating situation.

So, my advice to future visitors is this: Do not assume that the service will circulate to the table where you were initially seated. If you prefer to actually taste the variety of wines advertised, you might find yourself needing to actively follow the servers or even visit the bar to claim each glass. Be prepared for a bit of a hunt if you want to fully experience what you came for—this vineyard seems to operate under the unusual assumption that their guests should chase down their tastings rather than enjoy...

Before I came to Australia, I read a lot of information about visiting Australian wineries and signing up for their wine tasting activities.

There are many wineries here, each with its own characteristics. I must say that it's a bit difficult to choose which one to visit at first. Fortunately, we followed our instincts and selected a few to visit.

The first winery we visited was Lancaster, chill and down-to-earth as they come, Lancaster serves up high-end wine from within the walls of an unassuming, rustic tin shed. The first thing that strikes you upon arrival at Lancaster’s famous outdoor tasting shed is just how picturesque this inviting venue is. The staff introduced various red wines, white wines and dessert wines, allowing us to taste each one and choose the wine that suited us best.

They also explained which types of cheese could be paired with each wine to enhance their flavors. In the end, we chose Rosé and Ashe Blonde to embarked on my first Australian wine...

Went here for the Reds and Ribs event as part of the Entwined in the Valley 2021 festival. The wine was decent and the location was pretty in a rustic kinda way. The event itself was incredibly disappointing. $40 got you a glass of wine, ONE rib, 4 or 5 bite sized pieces of pork belly and brisket, a couple of slices of bread and a salad that was mostly iceberg and some red cabbage. All of the salad dressing was on the bread and none of it on the actual salad (not just mine. Same for my friends as well). The meager serving of meat was mostly overcooked. The entire event was being fed through one food truck window so there was a huge line to get food, easily about 30 mins standing in line. The event was picnic style and where we were sitting there wasn't enough light to even see our food. It advertised live entertainment but the only entertainment we saw was a DJ in a corner spinning tunes that only they were...