Here’s our pick of the top wineries in the Yarra Valley – the renowned Australian wine region just a short drive from Melbourne.
If you are visiting Melbourne and you love your food and wine, the Yarra Valley is a wonderful option for a day tour. It has many different wineries to choose from, many with cellar doors and restaurants.
The wineries of the Yarra Valley are renowned world-wide and many have award winning wines that are made on site.
The Yarra Valley is renowned for its pinot noir and chardonnay. These cool climate grapes grow well in the valley and don’t mind the cooler conditions in the south of Australia.
However, there are many big name wineries in the Yarra Valley and they often have vineyards across the country, allowing them to create many different wine varieties.
For an easy day trip from Melbourne, the Yarra Valley is not to be missed. Here’s our pick of the top wineries to put on your must-visit list.
If you’re thinking of taking a tour to the Yarra Valley – take a look at our Yarra Valley Gourmet Tour where you can taste the region’s best food and wine, as well as enjoy a gourmet winery lunch.
If you’d prefer not to join a group tour, we can arrange private tours with your own tailored itinerary. So you can pick your favourite places to visit and enjoy a day suited to your own schedule and preferences.
Top Wineries in the Yarra Valley
Rochford Wines
Rochford Wines is the ultimate destination for memorable experiences. Both on our tour for our gourmet lunch stop – and through its entertainment, fine dining and classic local wines.
Their wines reflect passion and creativity with grapes grown sustainably on three diverse vineyards. However, it’s not just the wines that shine at Rochford.
The vineyard is home to multiple restaurants, cellar doors, function spaces, wedding options and music events. This allows Rochford to offer a one-stop Yarra Valley experience like no other.
On tour your gourmet lunch is served at Rochford Wines. In winter it is by the open fireplace and year round you’ll enjoy views of the vineyards. For lunch you can choose from four different main meals – each using fresh, in-season local produce – served with a glass of wine and tea or coffee. After lunch, take some time to explore the Rochford gift shop. Or perhaps climb the spiral staircase to enjoy the panoramic views of the property.
Yering Station
On our Yarra Valley Gourmet Tour you can visit Yering Station, where Victoria’s first grape vines were planted back in 1838. Scottish brothers who ran a cattle farm planted two grape varieties on the property – on land known as ‘Yering’ to the local First Nations people. It is now a historic winery estate that is considered amongst the finest the Yarra Valley has to offer.
This winery is a member of the Australian Tourism Hall of Fame and a tasting of their exceptional wine range is not to be missed. You can also explore the gardens, view the changing exhibits or artworks and take a look into the wine cellar.
Balgownie Estate
Balgownie Estate Yarra Valley is home to 17 acres of vineyards – about 50-50 Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Wine is at the heart of everything at Balgownie. Their focus is on elegant cool climate wines from the Yarra Valley. They also have a range of deeply complex and distinguished cellaring styles from the old vines growing in the original Balgownie Bendigo vineyards.
We love to visit Balgownie for the first wine tasting session of our tour. We taste wines from their extensive range. You’ll learn how to swirl, sniff, and slurp like true connoisseurs while tasting some of the very finest cool climate wines.
Helen & Joey
Helen & Joey is located in the Fernando Vineyard in the Yarra Valley. The land was purchased in 2010 by Helen and Joey, and as such the winery was named. Since that time a lot of passion, hard work and expertise has gone into producing premium fruit across the 200 acre farm.
Helen & Joey winery is has an unusual addition to the vineyard and the winery logo. The unicorn is to represent the essence of their cool climate wines. It essentially represents the things that the team behind this winery admire most – Strength, Power and Elegance.
Domaine Chandon
Domaine Chandon is one of the very well-known wine brands that has a vineyard in Melbourne’s Yarra Valley. However the story of Chandon begins very far away, on the other side of the globe.It was sixty years ago that Robert-Jean de Vogüé and his friends set out to redefine luxury sparkling wine. They took Chandon across the globe, finding suitable locations to grow they grapes and produce high-quality sparkling wines.
The vineyard in the centre of the Yarra Valley has dining options, as well as tours and tastings. With amazing architecture and beautiful surroundings, it is a wonderful place to visit and try the Valley’s most iconic sparkling wine.
De Bortoli Estate
De Bortoli Wines is one of the largest privately operated wineries in the Yarra Valley. It was founded by an Italian migrant who’s love and skill in winemaking, became a family business. It is now the fourth generation of the De Bortoli family who are working in the business.
They have many vineyards across Australia and are known for producing an excellent variety of grapes. They produce a number of signature wines, which are renowned world-wide. At the Yarra Valley Cellar door you can taste these wines and also indulge in some of the cheeses from the onsite cheese shop.
The Yarra Valley is not just renowned for its award-winning, cool climate wines – but for the local produce too! Join us on a day tour from Melbourne to explore the best of the Yarra Valley, or contact us to enquire about a private tour.
Written by: Leah Furey – Digital Content Coordinator @gowest.com.au
