Relax and pamper yourself with so much fun and enjoy the taste of homegrown wines around Mornington Peninsula's 50-plus boutique cellar doors for unexpected and unforgettable experiences, meet new friends and love their delicious winery meals.
You'll taste different styles as you cruise the compact region. Climate, topography, land and soil structure create distinct micro-climates around the hinterland villages of Red Hill, Main Ridge and Moorooduc, and Merricks, Balnarring and Dromana on the coast. Be spoiled of your choice with 170 vineyards and over 50 cellar doors. Stop around Red Hill, Merricks, Main Ridge, Balnarring and Moorooduc to taste signature cool climate single-estate pinot noir and chardonnay and get acquainted with arneis, sangiovese and gewurtztraminer.
Victoria boasts over 850 wineries, of which 650 have cellar doors, in 21 distinct wine regions. Enjoy cellar door tastings and dine on local produce at winery restaurants. From the cool-climate varieties of the Yarra Valley to the big reds of Rutherglen, create your own Victorian wine experience.
Victoria’s range of grape varieties continues to grow at a cracking pace as growers and winemakers, fuelled by their vinous curiosity, add more and more styles to their repertoire. A conversation at the tasting bench will no doubt enhance the landscapes of flavour revealed in each drop. Behind each wine unfolds a tale of grapes and vineyard soils, and the methods used to nurture, harvest and mature it. Tasting reveals the most delectable part of that story through the sensual experience of exploring a wine’s colour and bouquet, and discerning its subtle flavours. You don’t have to be an expert to enjoy the experience!
Melbourne's Surrounds are unique – five winegrowing regions within 90 minutes of the city. And where there's good wine there's always great food, markets and festivals. And if you were wondering why Melbourne is a city obsessed with wine and food, the immediate proximity of five incredibly diverse wine regions that offer great local produce is your first clue.
The Yarra Valley is only a one hour drive from Melbourne. The wine region is officially in the Port Phillip Zone. It borders - on the towns of Emerald and Cockatoo to the south. The Plenty River marks the western boundary and the Yarra River which begins in the region's east, flows through its centre on the its way to Melbourne.
Most wineries and vineyards are centred round the towns of Coldstream, Healesville and Yarra Glen and the historic Lilydale.
The wine industry began its journey in 1837 when three brothers, William, James and Donald Ryrie established a cattle property Yering Station. They planted vines; an act recorded as the first vineyard planting in Victoria.
Mornington Peninsula is not only famous for its bay beaches but to its good reputation with Chardonnay and Pinot as well. With its different maritime climate, it can produce an impressively quantity of quality wines. The traditional varieties of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir excel, and its potential has been shown with the lesser known varieties of Viogner and Pinot Gris. It has been said that this area has more vineyards per kilometre than anywhere else in Australia, lying within the Port Phillip Zone, just one hour away south from Melbourne.
It starts at Mt Eliza just below Frankston wherein the main towns among the vineyards are Dromana, Red Hill South, Merricks and Moorooduc. Its red volcanic soils also grow a fine Shiraz with other varieties including Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Pinot Gris and Riesling. It also has a historic agricultural production in supplying the Melbourne markets with fruit, berries, vegetables and herbs. It is also an important recreation and tourist area that mainly serve the Melbourne population who flock to the area during weekends and holidays.
The Geelong Wine Region was considered the largest grape-growing region in Victoria, and one of the largest in Australia, boasting the historical roots back to the early 1800's and has undergone a renaissance in the last couple of decades as winemakers rediscovering rich soils and a climate that is halfway between France’s Bordeaux and Burgundy. Geelong region is renowned for the production of high quality wines. Some of its one-of-a-kind examples of Pinot Noir, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay can be found throughout its region.
Grape varieties in the Geelong region include Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon - and in the reds, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Shiraz. Geelong, bordered by Little River to the north and by the Leigh River to the west, as well as the Barwon and Moorabool rivers, is on the western side of Port Phillip Bay.
With its continous productivity, the Sunbury Wine region is renowned for some lovely wines. Being the closest wine region to Melbourne, Sunbury's long winemaking history which began in the 1860s has continued with many vineyards of today. Beautiful Chardonnay and concentrated Shiraz are just two of the wine styles to look for. On Melbourne's edge just north-west of Melbourne Airport, the region includes Keilor and Sunbury, Diggers Rest and Rockbank, extending to Bacchus Marsh. Further on in the same direction is the Macedon Ranges which it borders at the 400 metre contour line.
The Regional Wine Tasting and tasting dinners are the highlight of the Sunbury Wine Festival every end of August. Politics partly played in its early viticultural history. James Goodall established Goona Warra in 1858 and then went on to become premier of Victoria.