About Aravina Estate

Our Vineyard

Aravina Estate consists of 180 acres (73 hectares) of which 69 acres (29.6 hectares) are under vine including; Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Shiraz with subsequent plantings of Tempranillo and Malbec in 2013 and a further hectare of French Shiraz clone 470 planted in 2015. The Tempranillo vineyard is a polyclonal planting which comprises of five of the most revered Spanish clones selected from the Pais and Toro regions. 1 hectare of grenache and .25 hectares of Touriga Nacional were planted in 2019.

Approximately 75% of the plantings are cane pruned with the remainder spur pruned. The combination of the gentle slopes on the property, the free draining gravelly loam soils and plentiful water supply combine to produce ultra-premium quality fruit.

Vine spacing on the old vineyards is 1.8 metres with row widths of 3.5 metres. The new plantings have vine spacing of 1.6 metres and row widths of 3 metres.

Most of the vineyard is structured around VSP (vertical shoot positioned) trellis. An area of the old Cabernet Sauvignon block is grown on a Lyre trellis system providing an open canopy system which results in optimal bunch exposure and air circulation.

2018 heralded an exciting milestone for the estate with the completion of a state of the art wine making facility. Aravina's wines are now fully estate grown and their entire journey from vine to bottle is completed on site. The winery includes climatically controlled barrel storage, premium small batch processing, new technology berry sorting equipment and a state of the art laboratory that enable us to produce award winning wines for ourselves and our select contract customers. Contract wine making services are available, please contact the estate direct with enquiries.

We are regular holiday visitors of Aravina, & come for a big lunch every school holidays & every long weekend. We came to lunch with a group on Saturday, & what a fabulous meal! The place was full, there was great music & the staff were fantastic. All our meals were beautifully presented & delicious. I can’t wait to get back to Aravina.

- Nina F

Everything was so wonderful and a big shout and thank you to Tom the manager who really made sure we were accommodated. We cannot fault the level of their food, each dish was so delicious and that Pasta with the crab was out of this world.

We can never fault this vineyard, their staff are so lovely and the food WAS AMAZING. See you all again for the next birthday!!

- Alison T

Beautiful gardens and a water outlook lead to the Aravina Cellar Door, Surf Gallery and the Vineyard restaurant. The restaurant is quite large and has table seating alfresco and indoors and is disability suitable. All tables have magic views of the dam and gardens.

The Restaurant Menu is comprehensive with choices for people who only want something light for lunch, to full a la carte selections. The service was friendly, attentive and we enjoyed a chat , learning about the Winery and the area. A lovely and memorable luncheon at a delightful venue.

- Bryce S

Aravina Estate strives to create a uniquely memorable experience for everyone when visiting us.

Manicured Gardens

The manicured gardens at Aravina Estate are both stunning and secluded.

On arrival to the Estate, the expansive vineyard can be seen through the sweeping Claret Ash trees and manicured lawns. Visitors are met with a sea of pink and blue hydrangeas as they cross the bridge to the Cellar Door and Restaurant. The striking flowers are coupled with the intricate creek system of cascading waterfalls and a tree fern canopy.

As you walk throughout the gardens there is a fragrant and colourful range of roses, hydrangeas and camellias plus several sections of the garden dedicated to native plants. The expansive lake is offset by bushland and contemporary garden styling that creates the idyllic restaurant setting.

The Kitchen Garden

The Aravina kitchen and horticulture teams have worked together to design the kitchen garden and determine what produce is appropriate for Aravina Estate’s site conditions, wind shelter, optimal sunlight, airflow and irrigation.

They use entirely organic methods to ensure the quality of the kitchen garden produce. The Horticultural team select specific in-season varieties of herbs and vegetables for use in the Aravina Estate kitchen with the added prospect of on-selling excess produce to the public in the near future.

An apple and pear orchard was planted in early 2015. The fruit from the orchard will be incorporated into the chef's seasonal creations along with the lemons and limes from the extensive citrus trees planted around the Estate.

Meet The Aravina Team

Owners

New Details Coming Soon.
Owners

More information to be released shortly.

Chief Winemaker

Ryan Aggiss
Chief Winemaker

Ryan is responsible for all aspects of vineyard management (with consultant viticulturist Ryan Gibbs) and wine production at Aravina Estate. Formerly the site winemaker at Accolade Wine’s Houghton Winery in Nannup, Ryan has produced a large number of premium prize winning and popular wines across the suite of labels owned by Accolade including Houghtons and Brookland Valley. He has worked in Margaret River, Clare Valley, McLaren Vale and Sonoma Valley California and is a regular judge at Western Australian wine shows.

In 2009 Ryan was awarded the Wine Society Australian and New Zealand “Young Winemaker of the Year Award” whilst working at Margaret River’s Flying Fish Cove. He holds a BSc. (Oenology) from Charles Sturt University.

Contact: ryan@aravinaestate.com

Wedding & Event Manager

Minn Hockey
Wedding & Event Manager

Minn joined Aravina Estate in April 2023 bringing with her many years experience in all things weddings & event management. She’s worked with some of the leading wedding planners & venues in the country creating truly remarkable events. She's all about style, design and throwing a good party. Her attention to detail, organization, high standards and stellar communication skills ensure you’re in for an event experience that's as stress free as possible. Whether it's your dream wedding, corporate function, long table lunch or fundraising event- she'll make it memorable for all the right reasons.

' If you're looking for an iconic event venue, the only choice is Aravina.'

When she’s not guiding site visits, styling our spaces or planning upcoming weddings & events - she’s on her 120 acre farm riding horses, being Mum to 2 teenagers and a wife to a FIFO husband for 17 years. Raised in a small country town, she moved to Dunsborough in 2014 with her family in tow - and never looked back. She understands the value of relationships in one's community & strives to create an authentic connection with all our wedding & event clients.

Email: functions@aravinaestate.com to request our current wedding & event brochure.

Head Chef

Ross Tyre
Head Chef

Ross, an accomplished professional chef with 24 years’ experience internationally, nationally and locally, Ross extensively worked throughout the UK, Caribbean and came to Australia in 2012.

Working in some of the finest establishments in the food service industry, including 5 star hotels, Michelin star restaurants, large volume high profile events and luxury private charter yachts, then more recently moved to south west in 2017 where Ross was Executive Chef for 3 years at Palmer Wines in Dunsborough.

Joining Aravina Estate in 2020, and being a highly organised and passionate team member, with strong leadership and management skills, Ross became a huge asset to Aravina, with his calm, approachable and happy nature, landing him the role as Head Chef.

Contact: chef@aravinaestate.com.au

Horticulture Manager

Sharney Skelton
Horticulture Manager

Sharney and her expert team of horticulture and landscaping specialists have created and maintained some of the most outstanding aspects of Aravina Estate’s gardens for the last 10 years. From the creation of our wedding ceremony arbor, winding pathways and streams, the boardwalk connecting all the car parks, the events room dreamy manicured private gardens and the entrance to the kitchen garden using repurposed bricks and elements from the old Amberley Estate. Sharney and her team from Organics Horticulture services have created many of the region’s best and most abundant landscaped gardens and have been pivotal in maintaining the beautiful surroundings at Aravina.

Accounts & Administration Manager

Helen Nielsen
Accounts & Administration Manager

Helen was born and bred in Australind before making the move to Busselton 2 years ago. With 30 years of experience in accounting and office management, Helen is an absolute asset to the team. Keeping the wheels oiled in all area’s payroll, staff onboarding and bookkeeping.

Helen is a true family person and spends her down time with her loving husband, gorgeous kids and fur baby, Molly.

Contact: accounts@aravinaestate.com

Events Chef

Erdősi Botond
Events Chef

Botond joined Aravina Estate in 2019, shortly after he took charge of the food offering for weddings and events. Being of Hungarian heritage and growing up in Transylvania, he brings a wealth of worldly knowledge in all areas of kitchen operations. With a focus on seasonal, high-quality local produce, you will enjoy a menu that is beautifully tailored to each wedding day and event.

Contact: chef@aravinaestate.com

Marketing & Design

Tanja Sacconi
Marketing & Design

With 15 years of Marketing within the Margaret River Wine Industry, for wineries such as Howard Park Wines, Watershed Wines and Xanadu, including 18mths in Production & Design for Periscope Management, contracting for 13 various boutique wineries from the Margaret River and Great Southern Wine Regions, Tanja has knowledge in most aspects of Sales and Marketing within both small and large wineries.

Tanja joined Aravina Estate in 2019 as our Marketing and Graphic Designer. Along with her passion and knowledge for wine, and her creative flair, she designs all our menus, tasting notes and event posters, brochures and all other marketing material.

Contact: tanja@aravinaestate.com

Social Media & Content

Radhna Mackenzie
Social Media & Content

After studying film & television at North Metropolitan Tafe in 2020, Radhna joined Aravina Estate in 2021 to coordinate our digital media presence. She is a creative self-starter with natural leadership qualities who has had a big impact on showcasing our brand. We are lucky to have on board a Dunsborough local with twenty years of hospitality experience behind her, to understand what a venue needs to shine in the public domain.

Contact: radhna@aravinaestate.com