jmcmchi
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My notes a few years ago were focussed on the Yarra. This note covers wine regions in an oval round Melbourne, the furthest being something over two hours drive from the airport. For all that they are in one state, there is a wide variety of climactic conditions, although they would all describe themselves as "cool climate" - although we encountered a few 100 degree (F) days
General impressions
Charging for tastings is now universal close to Melbourne. So is encouragement of online booking, in many cases with payment in advance. Very variable in cost and application against purchases, but modest by comparison with US rates
Screwcap usage is almost universal and it's unusual to find current release wine above 14% abv
Wineries have generally upped their game since covid, cheese and charcuterie platters are excellent quality and value. Several pricey restaurants are attached to the most modern cellars
Yarra Valley (ENE of Melbourne)
We stayed in a cottage in Healesville, the centre of the region, and visited between one and three cellardoors a day, a leisurely pace that worked well for us
Memorable for us were;
Yarra Yering where we had an undisturbed tasting of 8 wines. The 2015 #2 Dry Red was way better than current release. All screwcap since 2016. They now own one of our sentimental favourites, Warramates, more reasonably priced than the YY brand
Pimpernel. Chatted with the crew while they were clearing the pressings from Chenin Blanc crush. Excellent tasting session. Notably still 100% cork A couple of really outstanding wines including marsanne and viognier. Also 2018 GSM
Coldstream Hills (owned by Halliday). Brilliant D Block pinot. Liked Sauvignon Blanc and other pinots as well as a lovely Reserve Chardonnay for lunch on the deck
Giant Steps, the only winery in Healesville itself, showed four Chardonnay and six pinot noir, using coravin through screwcap. It's now owned by Jackson family, no longer working with the Innocent bystander label.
At Warramunda winemaker Robert was standing in for daughter who had a leg injury. He has several quirky offerings in viognier and marsanne. Cheese and prosciutto included in the tasting was delicious, so we reserved a lunch for the next day.
Soumah, Oakridge, and Dominique Portet are all modern facilities, beloved of groups, all solid but crowded.
Mornington (SE of Melbourne)
A peninsula full of quaint ’50’s English seaside towns, hiding a number of winery gems, it’s an extended suburb of Melbourne, with a major highway into the middle of the wine region. We liked:
Kooyang Port Philip. Ugly concrete bunker from car park. Fantastic view over valley from inside. $35 tasting of single block wines.
Paringa had a full team working crush when we arrived. Excellent $10 and premium $15 tastings, very helpful young woman who knew her stuff. Outstanding value. Middle of the road in terms of commercialism.
Quealy. Looks a scruffy place. Knowledgeable and friendly tasting room staff . We loved the quirky varietals and blends they offer, notably friulano and then a sangio/pinot/shiraz bend
Yabby Lake, down a gravel road. Very professional, large operation, restaurant and winery. Significant detour getting to
Moorooduc. GPS took us twenty miles to cover 2 km Beautiful tasting with Leonie, a very enthusiastic cellar manager. Facility is definitely a working winery, lovely pinot and chardonnay. Interns from Oregon working harvest.
We had (just) time before the ferry from Sorrento to Geelong so stopped at Crittenden, in the middle of a planned community. Beautiful, luxurious set up. Pretty good tasting overlooking lake. Interesting oddities for Victoria e.g. Tempranillo Sangiovese and Savagnin (Arbois type)
Geelong (SW of Melbourne)
Has a variety of sub-regions and a bit more driving than the other areas
At Bellarine is Scotchmans Hill with an incredible tasting which made the bumpy dirt road approach worthwhile. Mark was run off his feet but still fitted us in neatly. The premium tasting was run around variations on single varietals, comparing base level, single vineyard and library premium. A 2014 Chardonnay stands out.
Lethbridge had a large crew working harvest, including a lot of French interns/staff. A wide range of varieties, including excellent pinot and syrah, one of the few wineries able to ship free of local taxes. We bought a couple of different vintage Mietta pinot’s
At Clyde Park we were surprised by the shiraz which we bought rather than the anticipated pinot
Pyrenees (NW of Melbourne)
On the way north, we decided to detour via Bests (Great Western). Unfortunately, we were unable to order the Icon (premium) tasting over the holiday weekend - expecting crowds, they had decided to limit the number of wines available for tasting. All 7 or 8 people there were disappointed
The 19th century underground cellars are incredible. The wine is pretty good too:). We decided to get a bottle of a 2012 field blend to accompany lunch, and took some more away with us
Dalwhinnie is located at a dead-end 1k along the road from Taltarni. Under the Fogarty regime they have introduced a wide range of new wines including a Tazzie pinot, but sadly have dropped the SW Rocks shiraz. There appears to be some sharing of learnings with other group wineries including Evans & Tate and Deep Woods in Western Australia. Beautiful view over the vineyards. Eagle Shiraz is as good as ever.
Taltarni is another in the modern style, owned by Americans (Clos du Bois). They have sold their French winery since our last visit. The mourvedre and old vines cab stood out with another great cheese and charcuterie platter.
Both Dalwhinnie and Taltarni are highly rated by Halliday. So is Blue Pyrenees, where we were less impressed. Then we enjoyed a small family operation, ignored by Halliday, St Ignatius, run from a house at the side of the road. Served several innovative wines and unique varieties for Victoria, notably Torrontes and Carmenere
We returned to Melbourne with a detour via Mt Langi Ghiran. It is in a relatively isolated location, reached over dirt roads past grapes which were still hanging, without nets. It turns out they pick about three weeks later than the Pyrenees and the Yarra, being located in a cool valley. Their premium tasting is $15. Cheeseboard, typically for this trip, is of incredible quality. We tasted our first, and only, Australian auxerrois in a sea of (good to outstanding) shiraz. Most notable here were huge vintage variations in the wide array available. Another brilliant tasting, with 2013 and 2007 shiraz as glass pours to accompany lunch. Well worth the detour.
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One final thought for other visitors.....the Australians seem to be very law-abiding when it comes to speed limits - it was unusual to see anyone driving even 10% above the posted limit
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Trip notes from Victoria, Australia - 
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