Margaret River has a new winery, and one of WA’s most respected chefs is in the kitchen

When Brendan Pratt first visited Wayfinder Wines in March, he liked what he saw.

He liked that a productive one-acre market garden had been planted and that the property’s established vineyards were now being managed using organic and regenerative farming practices.

He liked that a not-especially-functional dam had been converted into a very functional gravity-fed winery. (Using natural elevation rather than machinery in the winemaking process isn’t just gentler on the grapes but also saves energy and dollars.)

And he liked that the Cowaramup estate was solar-powered and off-grid.

But most of all, he liked that while the people showing him around were clearly committed to thinking green, none of them were wedded to any one approach or solution.

“Even though they knew what they wanted, their approach was more ‘this is how we think we’ll get there’ instead of ‘this is how it’s going to be done,’” says Pratt.

“There was this humbleness that you don’t always see in hospitality.”

Humility, meanwhile, is a quality that Wayfinder’s freshly minted executed chef also brings to the table. (And not to mention more than two decades of cooking experience including time at British powerhouses The Fat Duck and The Ledbury; local pioneer Vasse Felix; plus the Parker Group where, as culinary director, Pratt oversaw everything from pub grub to fine dining.)

Come late winter, our man brings all the above to Wayfinder’s 60-seat dining room that’s due to open in August.

Designed by Kerry Hill Architects (State Buildings, Walyalup Koort, State Theatre Centre), the cellar door restaurant uses rammed earth walls and timber salvaged from the property to reinforce its green-thinking, Margaret River credentials.

In the kitchen, Pratt will follow suit with a locavore menu featuring estate-grown vegetables, fruits, eggs and honey, supplemented by meat, seafood and other ingredients sourced from simpatico West Australian farmers and producers.

Expect lots of fermentation and pickling, house-made pastas and bread, plus tasting menu and a la carte dining options.

So how does Wayfinder’s regenerative, softly-softly winemaking approach translate to its food? For one, Pratt has invested in a Zesti Icarus grill: a locally made electric grill that replicates the intense char of a traditional charcoal grill, only minus the charcoal and the associated environmental impacts of burning a combustible fuel.

If everything goes to plan, the only red meat he’ll cook is Wayfarer’s regeneratively farmed lamb. (You know that beef and sheep production produces a heap of greenhouse emissions, right?)

Yet for all of this idealism, Pratt is also aware that keeping guests happy remains one of hospitality’s major KPIs.

“It’s about being delicious and not too pretentious,” he says.

“The food needs to be able to be enjoyed without thinking about it too much. But if you do want to dive in and think about it too much, then you’ll find a lot to talk about.”

Pratt’s appointment isn’t the only reason for eaters and drinkers to get excited.

The rest of Wayfinder’s keepers include gardeners Amy Dyson and Bec Davie (both have worked as gardeners at Karridale’s farm-to-table paradigm, Glenarty Road); restaurant manager Cat Houlberg who you might remember from Old Young’s Kitchen in the Swan Valley; plus locally raised winemaker Andrew Trio who returns to the southwest after spending a decade in America making wine.

Overseeing everything is chief executive Paul McArdle, an industry journeyman whose extensive rap sheet includes consulting to Perth’s legendary Must Winebar.

While there’s no shortage of ambition driving this project, elitism isn’t part of Wayfarer’s game. Part of its hospitality offering is a casual, snackier food menu for those camped out on the lawn area: just the thing for families and anyone coming straight from the surf.

There are also plans to host community market days, garden workshops and other community activities on a purpose-built pavilion on the property.

“There’s a real desire from everyone to make sure that we’re something for the locals as well and not just this big shiny place for tourists,” says Pratt.

Wayfinder Winery & Farm Restaurant is due to open in August.