Clairault Streicker

Clairault Streicker runs a polished cellar door on Caves Road in the middle of the Wilyabrup sub-region, and dogs get proper outdoor access rather than a token patch of gravel. The covered patio and the shaded lawn where the picnic packages are laid out both take dogs on leads, so a tasting and a long lunch can run into one visit. Doors open Wednesday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm; Monday and Tuesday the cellar door is closed, so plan around that.

The dog setup

Dogs on leads are welcome on the covered patio, which has shade through most of the day, and out on the lawn where the picnic hampers are set up under the trees. The indoor tasting rooms and the kitchen seating are for humans only, so check the weather if your dog will not settle on a veranda. Staff will bring water out to the patio and bowls are generally on hand. Keep the lead on throughout the grounds, and steer clear of the vine rows themselves.

The vibe

The wines are classic Margaret River, with Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon the ones worth ordering a flight of. The signature experience is the picnic package: a multi-course menu with matched wines served at a spot on the dog-friendly lawn, which is as close to a dog-include lunch as the region does. Tastings run at a relaxed pace and the grounds are level, so there is no drama with a slower or older dog.

Pepsi: Book the lawn picnic on a mild day, there is room to flop in the shade while you graze.

Getting there and parking

Set the maps for 3277 Caves Road, Wilyabrup. The cellar door sits directly off Caves Road between Cowaramup and the coast, roughly 15 minutes north of Margaret River town. Parking is a spacious gravel lot a short walk from the entrance, and the path in is flat and easy with a dog.

Close by with the dogs

You can build a whole Caves Road loop without leaving the leash on the car seat. Willespie Estate is a few minutes south and welcomes dogs at its cellar door, while Lenton Brae up the road has lake-side grounds where dogs roam on a lead. For a stretch of leg between stops, the Wadandi Track takes dogs on lead along a flat old rail corridor.

Mild days between late morning and mid afternoon suit the shaded patio best, and the lawn picnic needs a booking ahead. For more dog-friendly cellar doors across the state, see the other WA wineries, and for what else is in the neighbourhood check our Wilyabrup guide.