Whimwood Estate Wines

Whimwood Estate Wines sits on the Nannup Balingup Road in the Blackwood River country, a small cellar door that opens on weekends and keeps things deliberately unhurried. Dogs are welcome at the tastings both inside and outside, and well behaved dogs are often free to roam the grounds near the resident winery dog, which makes this an easy stop for travellers working the southern forests route with a dog in the back seat.

The dog setup

The welcome covers the indoor tasting space as well as the outdoor areas, so wet weather does not end the visit. With a resident dog on site there is usually a friendly greeter on hand, though it is worth keeping introductions calm while other guests are mid tasting. The setting is quiet and rural, with room for leashed dogs to settle while you work through the list, which runs from chardonnay and shiraz to sparkling and dessert wines.

Worth knowing

The cellar door opens Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 4pm and is closed Monday to Friday, so plan your route around the weekend rather than treating it as a midweek stop. There is no food service, but the venue invites visitors to bring their own grazing board, which pairs nicely with a bottle bought on the day and the view across the property.

Between the platter friendly setup and the relaxed pace, plan to stay an hour or two rather than ducking in for a single tasting. The drive in from the Nannup township is short, and the road on towards Balingup makes a scenic return leg for anyone looping through the forests with the dog on board.

Nearby, Lewana Cottages in Balingup offers dog friendly accommodation along the same road, making an easy overnight between the two towns. For more dog friendly tastings across the state, browse our Western Australia wineries guide.