Hanson's boutique guesthouse features sensual art on the walls, private spas in some of its 10 rooms and a small dining room made for romance. Bed down Another option for those wishing to self-cater is the growing number of carefully renovated settler's cottages. Slightly further upstream, Richard Edward's cottage was built 13 years earlier, sleeps six in luxurious comfort and has a lilac tree and wild olives growing in its beautiful garden. Thyme and Again is a smaller but no less lovingly restored property closer to the road. The added bonus here is an owner who hand-makes her own organic oil and will gladly provide this and olives to those staying over.
Olive oil is another of the valley's burgeoning industries.
No visit to the Swan Valley would be complete without imbibing of its fortifieds. Nowhere else in Western Australia will you find such a range of stickies. Most, thanks to Australia's reciprocal deal with the EC, now disclosed in full varietal splendour. Talijancich has also championed verdelho, arguably the Swan Valley's most successful table wine, and annually re-releases an older vintage at the cellar door to show just how well it will age given half a chance. At Westfield Wines, too, you'll find a verdelho that's just hitting its straps after eight years in the bottle, along with the company's flagship cabernet and some fine fortifieds.