In a city where food and wine is celebrated, we think these are the best winery tours Melbourne has to offer.
The best part is, it’s not only wine that makes these tours special, but the local produce and gourmet food as well. For a great winery destination near Melbourne we recommend the Yarra Valley or Mornington Peninsula. Both have an outstanding range of wineries to choose from, and they offer great opportunities to taste the local produce of the region.
We guarantee a winery tour will be one of the highlights of your trip to Melbourne!
Winery regions near Melbourne
Melbournians are spoilt for choice when it comes to great wine regions near the city. This means visitors are the same – there’s a great choice of winery tours for anyone visiting Melbourne.
Yarra Valley
Melbourne’s most famous wine region is the Yarra Valley. Just a 45 minute drive from the city, and you are in a vibrant wine-making region, with plenty of delicious local produce made here as well. It’s the location where the first grape-vines were planted in Victoria, and it is the most popular choice for winery tours from Melbourne.
Highlights of the Yarra Valley wine region
- Easily accessed from Melbourne – great for a one day tour
- Over 70 wineries to choose from
- Region is known for pinot noir and chardonnay varieties
- Great valley scenery, particularly in autumn when vine leaves change colour
- Local producers include cheese makers, chocolatiers and fruit growers
Mornington Peninsula
The Mornington Peninsula has established itself as a booming wine region in Victoria. Just one hour drive from Melbourne, the region pairs some great vineyards with vibrant coastal scenery. There are more than 50 cellar doors to visit and some excellent restaurants and cafes serving fresh local produce.
Highlights of the Mornington Peninsula wine region
- Highlights of the Mornington Peninsula wine region
- Boutique wineries making for a more intimate experience
- Spectacular coastal scenery
- Local restaurant and cafes
- Renowned for pinot noir wines
Smaller wine regions in Victoria
Victoria is home to 21 different wine regions, meaning there are plenty of opportunities to taste your favourite drop in cellar doors around the state. The Grampians wine region has many smaller cellar doors, dotted around the foothills of the spectacular Grampians mountain range. Rutherglen is famous for bold red and fortified wines, with some great local prudence on offer as well. Heathcote is becoming known for its Shiraz with some brilliant family-run wineries offering a great cellar door experience.
Our Yarra Valley Gourmet Wine Tour from Melbourne
Our Go West Yarra Valley Gourmet Wine Tour is designed to highlight the best wines and local produce in Melbourne’s most famous wine region.
We start the day with an exclusive farm gate visit at Yarra Farm Fresh. At this boutique, third-generation orchard, we’ll sample a range of seasonal fruits and other local produce. We will also learn a little about the wide range of farm-fresh fruits grown on the property.
Next, we travel to one of the valley’s true icons, Balgownie Estate where we’ll enjoy a tasting from their extensive range of quality wines. We’ll learn how to swirl, sniff, and slurp like true connoisseurs while tasting some of the very finest cool climate wines.
The amazing produce at the Yarra Valley Dairy will truly melt in your mouth. They specialise in soft cheeses and fetas – made right there in the century-old milking shed on the property. The cheeses here are truly stunning and will have your tastebuds working overtime!
Our gourmet lunch is at the renowned Rochford Wines where our guests can choose from four different main meals – each using fresh, in-season local produce – with a glass of wine and tea or coffee. After lunch, take some time to explore the gift shop, or perhaps climb the spiral staircase to enjoy the panoramic views from Rochford’s famous lookout tower.
Next up, we make our way to Yering Station, where Victoria’s first grape vines were planted back in 1838. 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.
To finish the tour we’ll visit the Yarra Valley Chocolaterie where you’re welcomed with an exclusive chocolate tasting, displays of thousands of premium chocolates, and expert chocolatiers hard at work handcrafting their chocolate creations.
You can sit back and relax on the return journey to Melbourne, knowing that you have enjoyed the very best that a day tour to the Yarra Valley has to offer.
A private winery tour to the Yarra Valley
If you like the sound of taking a tour to the Yarra Valley wine region, but would prefer to tailor the itinerary yourself – we can help you out! Our private tours can cater for 1 to 100 guests and can be completely arranged to meet your needs.
Previously we have hosted wine clubs, wedding parties and individual guests on our private Yarra Valley Tours from Melbourne.
Do you prefer beer instead of wine? Ask us about the numerous micro-breweries in the Yarra Valley, or maybe visit Four Pillars Gin Distillery, recently named one of the world’s top 10 distilleries!
Or would you prefer a stronger focus on wine than on local produce? We can adapt our itinerary to ensure more opportunities to sniff, slurp, and swill.
You might even like to add some Australian wildlife to your Yarra Valley visit. Meeting many Australian animals at Healesville Sanctuary, located just a short drive from many great wineries is a great way to spend the morning.
Our Mornington Peninsula private winery tours
If you like the idea of visiting wineries and cellar doors in the Mornington Peninsula region, we would be happy to tailor a tour to suit your needs. We can customise your itinerary, timings, and inclusions to suit your specific preferences, to ensure that your experience is both unique and truly memorable.
We will help you create a personalised tour with stops where you want them. Choose from wine tastings, beer tastings and gourmet lunch options.
You can even explore further on the Mornington Peninsula and include The Enchanted Maze and Adventure Garden, Peninsula Hot Springs or the Arthurs Seat Eagle on your itinerary. There are also some fantastic beaches and coastal lookouts if you’d like a little bit of sight-seeing along with your wine tastings.
Why you should take a winery tour from Melbourne
For a relaxing day out, tasting great wines and fresh local produce, taking a tour is a great option. No need for a designated driver, or trying to navigate around a new destination – we will do the work for you. From choosing the best experiences – wine tastings, local produce, gourmet lunches – to providing you with a great commentary on the region, we will ensure you have a fantastic experience. You can take a winery tour from Melbourne that is memorable for all the right reasons.
Written by: Leah Furey – Digital Content Coordinator @gowest.com.au
