Now in its second year, Pair’d Margaret River Region x Range Rover offers four days of food and wine events across the south west’s glorious landscapes. Here’s why you should put it on the event list for your clients for 2026.
Meandering along Caves Road in Western Australia’s Margaret River region is a wine-lover’s delight, where cellar doors invite visitors for quick tastings or lazy lunches. Marri and jarrah trees flank the road, branches twisting overhead like a personal guard of honour. It’s a distinctive welcome to this region, famous for its premium wine.
The festival features local and international celebrity chefs and big names of the wine world, and while only in its second year, Pair’d is set to become one of Australia’s best food and wine festivals.
Hero image by Shot by Ovis. Lower images (L–R): Vasse Felix; Paul Iskov and Dave Pynt; Nature’s Table by Shot by Ovis.
Out of the box events
Pair’d events cater for various budgets and tastes and are held across the region. What they all have in common is meticulous execution, chic styling and a genuine sense of fun.
Perhaps the most photogenic event is Nature’s Table, a very-long-table lunch set amongst a private native forest. Tables are exquisitely decorated with unusual flowers, creating a whimsical, fairytale setting.
Pair’d 2025 Natures Table. All images by © Shot by Thom 2025
Strolling down the forest path, we’re greeted with local riesling and live harp music. Chefs Jessica Court of Glenarty Road and Paul Iskov of pop-up restaurant, Fervor present a wine-matched feast of native foraged and farmed ingredients.
The wines are, in turn, matched to a soundscape, recorded locally by Dr Jo Byrzynska, designed to deepen our sense of place and enhance the tasting.
Each event pays homage to the local Wadandi people, and at the Ngilgi Reverie, Indigenous custodian Josh Whiteland of Koomal Dreaming leads visitors to our aperitivo of bushfood canapes, including local oysters and kangaroo with quandong relish. These tastes are accompanied by the finest drops from Cullen Wines.
Whiteland explains that this region, Wadandi Country, has always been a food bowl for his people.
“From the sand dunes you’ll find all the sea celery, salt bush, dune spinach, coastal figs, and samphire. Up on the ridge, you’ll find the berries, fruits and medicines, like the native cherries and sugarberries, which are coming into season.”
Following Whiteland, we descend stairs deep into Ngilgi Cave. On his didgeridoo, Whiteland provides a grounding, soul-stirring song, before we’re treated to a surreal and spine-tingling opera performance by soprano and cookbook author, Silvia Colloca.
Another day we journey to Meelup Beach, where aquamarine waters fringe the Pair’d Beach Club x Range Rover event. The Beach Club Bar offers a more affordable beach party vibe, while my ticket is for the elevated Beach Club Restaurant.
With feet in the sand, my group shares an exquisite feast of seafood, beef and salads by UK Michelin-starred chef Nathan Outlaw in collaboration with Dunsborough local, Aaron Carr of Yarri. Each course is matched with Margaret River wines like Vasse Felix and LS Merchants, and glasses of limoncello spritz materialise like magic.
Pair’d 2025 Beach Club x Range Rover. Hero image by Luke Latty; additional images shot by Thom.
Festival of friendships
The Grand Tasting at Howard Park is a one-stop Margaret River wine tasting event, featuring well-known local wineries.
Tasty bites are provided by celebrity chef Matt Moran, including an unforgettable lobster roll.
Entertainment includes a panel discussion and interactive tasting with Matt Moran, surf champion Layne Beachley, Kirk Pengilly from INXS, and UK-based food writer and wine podcaster (and son of Queen Camilla), Tom Parker Bowles.
The panel discussion highlights the friendships among the talent lineup. At all the events, it’s clear the celebrity chefs and sommeliers are enjoying the events as much as the guests.
Take the Burnt Ends and Friends event at Wills Domain winery and restaurant. Here, the classic backyard barbecue is elevated to the Michelin-star level, featuring some of the world’s best barbecue chefs, including Dave Pynt from Burnt Ends (Singapore), Argentinian legend, Francis Mallmann, viral YouTube sensation, Andy Hearnden, plus Perth’s own Don MacDonald of Big Don’s Meats.
As the sky fades to pink and darkness creeps up the vineyard, friends gorge on succulent beef brisket, smoke-roasted nannygai fish and pork sandwiches straight off the spit roaster.
For Perth-born Dave Pynt, it’s a thrill to connect with the other chefs, like Francis Mallmann, known as the Godfather of Fire. Mallmann’s cooking fire features a dome-shaped metal frame.
“Seeing him work on it, having hung the vegetables and the meat, and rotating the meat, it’s pretty mind-blowing,” Pynt says.
Pair’d 2025 Burnt Ends. Lower left image: Francis Mallmann, Lower centre: Andy Hearnden. All images by Rachel Claire.
Francis Mallmann himself says the Pair’d event is about more than just food. It’s about cherishing our friends, spending time with people we love.
“Be witty when you talk tonight,” he says. “We have to say everything we feel.”
The fine dining in Margaret River events are no less chummy, and the collaboration between executive chef Evan Hayter of De’sendent and Rishi Naleedra of two-Michelin-starred Cloudstreet Singapore is a joyous celebration of wine, food and friendship.
The indulgent five-course menu features local marron atop Sri Lankan curry, premium local dhufish, and even white pepper ice cream. The delicacies are accompanied by glasses of Krug Champange, aged Howard Park Riesling and Burgundy.
Evan Hayter relishes the chance to collaborate with chefs like the Sri Lankan-born Australian, Naleendra.
“His food, whilst it has little hints of Sri Lankan spice to it, sits really well with my food,” Hayter says. “And it’s just really nice to work with friends, right? This is why Pair’d is amazing; this is really good for us.”
While the Pair’d festival is a great excuse to visit Margaret River, the region is worthy of a visit all year round. Margaret River beaches are glorious in summer, and in winter, rug up for cosy cellar door tastings.
Don’t miss famous names like Vasse Felix, Voyager Estate and Cullen Wines. For something different, try Edwards Wines to check out the owner’s historic bi-plane. Swings and Roundabouts is a family-friendly winery, and Passel Estate offers tastings paired with cheeses or chocolate.
The details:
Pair’d will be held in November 2026, with the full program released in mid-2026. Subscribe to the event database to be the first to know about dates, program and ticket release.
Many events offer a bus transfer (additional fees may apply) from key hubs like Busselton, Dunsborough and Margaret River. Prices for events range from $20 to $800 per person.
How to get there:
Jetstar flies to Busselton from Sydney or Melbourne at least three times per week. From other cities, fly to Perth with Qantas, Virgin or Jetstar. The drive to Margaret River takes about three hours.
Where to stay:
The Margaret River region offers varied accommodation, but it is best to book in advance during Pair’d. Pullman Bunker Bay Resort has refined self-contained units in a bushland setting with direct beach access. Olio Bello is a working olive oil farm with glamping tents around a lake, or try the Hilton Garden Inn, Busselton, beside Busselton Jetty and close to the airport.
Carolyn Beasley travelled as a guest of Tourism Western Australia
