10 reasons why Australia is the greatest country on Earth for a wine holiday
Victoria has more wine regions (21) and individual wineries (over 800 of them) than any other state in Australia, despite it being the second smallest after Tasmania. The diversity on offer is incredible, from chardonnay and shiraz to muscat. Just don’t try and do it all; in a week you shouldn’t plan on visiting more than three or four regions.
On a five-day trip starting out from Melbourne, I visited four regions – Mornington Peninsula, the Yarra Valley, Rutherglen and the King Valley – and I loved what I saw and tasted, but wished I could have lingered longer in all of them.
Working out your route is easy
Most regions are just an hour or two away from each other, and many can be done in a weekend from Melbourne if you’d prefer to just visit one. The big hitters are Mornington, Yarra and Rutherglen, but you can mix and match these with lesser-known and smaller regions.
Where possible try to stay at hotels that offer free lifts to nearby vineyards or, better yet, stay on a property that has its own cellar door. Mornington is the obvious place to start, an hour or so from Melbourne. It has plenty of small beach towns and several hot springs where you can spend the day (try Peninsula Hot Springs, with 70 different baths; peninsulahotsprings.com, entry £33).
From there, you can head to the state’s oldest wine region, the Yarra Valley, in around 90 minutes. Here there’s more of a sense of the countryside, with small towns such as Healesville lined with independent shops.
A hot air balloon ride will give the lie of the land (globalballooning.com.au/yarra-valley; from £226). To extend your trip, keep making your way north (with longer drives of around two or three hours between destinations) to the cool, open spaces of the underrated Strathbogie Ranges and historic Rutherglen, with family-owned vineyards and gum trees aplenty, before one final stop in the high altitudes of the King Valley (Victoria’s take on the Prosecco region, with Italian connections to match) on your way back to Melbourne.
At vineyards in the Mornington Peninsula, you’re never far from the sea
No vineyard site in the Mornington Peninsula is ever further than seven kilometres from the ocean. The cool maritime climate means that this is pinot noir, pinot gris and chardonnay country (or, as the locals would have it, “pinto and chardy”). It’s just an hour’s drive from Melbourne, and you’ll be rewarded with occasional glimpses of the Bass Strait, Port Phillip Bay and Western Port Bay as you make your way. Don’t miss a long, lazy afternoon at Montalto (00 61 3 5989 8412; montalto.com.au; tastings from AUS$15/£8) in Mornighton’s Red Hill, with its beautiful vineyards stretching over the hillsides.
There’s a small kitchen garden on show, with more in the distance, and a sculpture trail that winds through the property. At its cellar door, you’ll learn how this retirement project from more than 20 years ago has grown to four growing sites. Sample the citrus zing of the chardonnays, and a late harvest sauvignon blanc reminiscent of sweet nectar.
You can stay at hotels with epic views of vineyards
The best of the bunch is The Jackalope (0061 3 5931 2500; jackalopehotels.com; doubles from £370 including breakfast) a boutique hotel and vineyard with a fabulous fine dining restaurant also in the Mornington Peninsula. There’s a complimentary wine tasting as part of your stay and, most importantly, they can organise transfers to vineyards nearby, which means no one has to be the designated driver. If you’re still jet-lagged, an early morning dip in the outdoor infinity pool is the perfect start to the day.
Other options include some quirky self-catering on Rutherglen’s Mount Ophir Estate (0061 2 6035 2222; mountophirestate.com.au; doubles from £213) and simple but sweet Yarra Gables (0061 3 5962 1323; yarragables.com.au; doubles from £121) – a cross between an American motel and an English cottage outside Healesville in the Yarra Valley.
The food is great
The laid-back Australian dining you’ll find in each region is a highlight of any trip, with plenty of local produce on offer and unstuffy service. Try Meletos (0061 3 8727 3030; meletos.com) in the Yarra Valley for dinner, arriving at “golden hour” to see the ivy-covered buildings and far-reaching vineyards dappled in the last rays of sun. The set menu is a selection of sharing starters with no choice – perhaps creamy, dreamy burrata with tomato chutney, plates of cured meats and fiery mussels with popped rice – followed by a choice of mains such as rich pork belly with stout glaze or confit salmon.
Other favourites included Grace Bar and Eatery (0061 2 5017 0017; milkinkitchen.com.au) in Rutherglen for ricotta gnocchi and heirloom tomato salad and Montalto’s The Piazza (00 61 3 5989 8412; montalto.com.au) for pumpkin arancini and woodfired pizza. Of course, they all have great wine lists, but many also do intriguing non-alcoholic cocktails too.
You learn a lot
The local winemakers are incredibly keen to share everything from process and history to tasting notes. Nowhere is this more true than at Giant Steps in the Yarra Valley, just east of Melbourne. The region has one of the lowest mean January temperatures, so pinot noir and chardonnay are popular here too, but also shiraz and cabernet sauvignon.
Giant Steps (0061 3 5962 6111; giantstepswine.com.au; tastings from AUS$15/£8) is particularly special because it produces single-estate wines with real personality that give an overview of the valley and the different flavour profiles. For example, their Wombat Creek Vineyard’s Pinot Noir has a distinctively soft yet long and firm palate because of iron in the volcanic soil, whereas the Applejack Vineyard Pinots have a much finer palate thanks to basalt-based volcanic soil.
There’s a sense of adventure about it all
Many of the drives between regions feel quite intrepid, although never daunting. One of the best is the 90-mile route from the Yarra Valley to the Strathbogie Ranges (known for its fresh and aromatic wines). Yes it is pothole ridden, but it’s also crisscrossed with creeks, ferny glades, towering eucalyptus trees and plenty of lush green hillsides, with the chance to spot kangaroos hopping through the fields.
Many of the tastings are exceptional value for money
Think of Fowles Wine (Fowles Wine (0061 3 5796 2150; fowleswine.com; tastings from AUS$10/£5) as being like a service station done up to the nines. Families from regional Victoria meet here as a halfway point; tourists on their way to different regions use it as a lunch stop for kangaroo steaks. Those lucky enough not to be the designated driver can try two or three wines for free, or 10 for AUS$10. You get a huge list and can choose as you go, with the people behind the bar advising what to have next based on what you’ve liked most and least so far. It makes for an incredibly relaxed tasting that also feels tailored to your specific palate. This was one of the best-value tastings I experienced, but many others are in a similar price range with the value of the tasting taken off your bill if you choose to buy a few bottles.
The fortified wines are world-class
Rutherglen, two hours further north from the Strathbogie Ranges, is one of the oldest wine-growing areas dating back to the 1850s and known for its sweet and fortified wines. The family-owned, fifth-generation Campbell’s (0061 2 6033 6000; campbellswines.com.au; tastings from AUS20/£16) is the perfect introduction, where the owner explains that the area’s long autumns are key for their intense, rich muscats. The Rutherglen muscat is best described as plum pudding in a glass, it’s just three to five years old and has incredible depth of flavour.
Victoria even has their own version of Prosecco
The King Valley is one of Australia’s highest-altitude growing areas and the birthplace of the country’s Prosecco. The owners of Pizzini (0061 3 5729 8278; pizzini.com.au; tastings from AUS10/£8) have Italian heritage and that really comes through in the wine: try the Brachetto 2022, a sparkling pink drink that starts off sweet with notes of watermelon but finishes dry.
But the best thing of all is… how uniquely Australian it all is
In part, that’s because of the service. The whole thing is incredibly relaxed. But it’s also because of the experiences you will have along the way. Soaking in local hot springs, watching kangaroos bound through vineyards, spotting surfers ride waves in the distance, hearing the mating call of a wattle bird, and toasting the sunset after a blue-sky day, (slightly) tipsy and content.
Essentials
Lizzie travelled as a guest of Visit Victoria. Trailfinders offers a Wildlife and Wine trip in Victoria from £2,599pp for 14 nights, including flights, hotels, and car hire. trailfinders.com
