Yarra Valley winery reviews
Check out wineries in the Yarra Valley wine region independently reviewed by wine writers Ralph Kyte-Powell, Ben Edwards, Stuart Gregor and Sally Gudgeon.
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The new Yarra outpost of Bendigo-based winery Balgownie is one of the valley's best places to enjoy lunch and a glass of good wine. The stylish rammed-earth cellar door and restaurant provides lovely views across the valley, and a museum of local wine history is an enlightening place to visit. Chardonnay and pinot noir are staples, and first indications are promising.
Ralph Kyte-Powell
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Bianchet lies just beyond the suburban sprawl. The rolling hills begin here,
and it's a good starting point for a visit to the Yarra Valley. The wines include
some uncommon varieties like the white Verduzzo, and the Cucina Rossa
restaurant serves robust European peasant-style dishes, with the emphasis
on biodynamic local produce. The terrace under the umbrellas is a great
spot to spend some time.
Ralph Kyte-Powell
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The cellar door looks across the lovely pastoral landscape of the Yarra Valley
towards the northern hills. It's a comfortable place to taste the excellent
Coldstream Hills range, and chat with the knowledgeable staff about the
wines. Chardonnay and pinot noir are the mainstays here, and the reserve
cabernet sauvignon can be superb.
Ralph Kyte-Powell
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De Bortoli just seems to go from strength to strength with more vineyards, more trophies and more sales. The restaurant at the winery is a must for any first timer to the Valley and De Bortoli wines are universally good from the Windy Peak range right through to the prestigious melba and the famous Noble One Botrytis Semillon (which is sourced in Griffith, NSW). The Noble One stands unchallenged as Australia's greatest 'sticky'.
Stuart Gregor
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Everybody knew the Yarra had arrived when the French giant Möet & Chandon set up stumps at this magnificent site smack in the middle of the Valley. Everything here is classy and elegant from the roses in the vineyard to the tours of the facilities. Best of all the delicious range of sparkling wines just keeps getting better. Keep an eye out also for the excellent Green Point still wines.
Stuart Gregor
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The affable Dominique Portet is a household name in Victorian wine. He was the prime mover in the large Taltarni estate in the Pyrenees, and now he's to be found at his new winery and cellar door in the heart of the lovely Yarra Valley. The place has a slightly Provencale feel and the terrace café serving light snacks reinforces the ambience. The wines are very good, with excellent sauvignon blanc and dry Fontaine rosé outstanding drinks for al fresco dining. Expect future releases to be of a similar very high standard.
Ralph Kyte-Powell
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This is one of the most beautiful vineyards in Victoria. Well-kept manicured
gardens and lovely trees frame a breathtaking vista across a verdant valley to
the rolling hills beyond. An ideal place to rest and survey the scene, perhaps
with a drop of Elmswood's very good chardonnay, available in both oaked
and unwooded versions, or one of the correctly styled cabernet blend.
Ralph Kyte-Powell
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Evelyn Estate's buildings won an architectural award, and the feel of the
place is very swish and contemporary. On the Kangaroo Ground side of the
Yarra Valley, the smart restaurant has an outdoor terrace where you can dine
almost among the vines, and The Hide wine bar and cellar door downstairs
offer a cosy alternative. If you have time, browse the interesting artworks
in the Tony Smibert Gallery beside the restaurant. Wine quality is very good,
and so is the coffee.
Ralph Kyte-Powell
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Park your car under one of the 75-year-old oaks that gave this estate its name, and drink in the fresh air of the lovely Yarra Valley hill country. Five Oaks Estate has a modest and comfortable cellar door for tasting the wines, and for enjoying the relaxed hospitality of the Zuk family. The Zuks originally come from Canada, and there's an almost North American feel in the buildings and spreading trees that lead to the vineyard. The cabernet-based reds are particularly worth trying here.
Ralph Kyte-Powell
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With its imposing gates, and architecturally designed building, this property
stands out against the backdrop of rolling hills. There are two blocks in the
hundred-acre vineyard, the old block planted with chardonnay and pinot,
which are over 20 years old, and the new block, which has some experimental
varieties such as viognier and arneis. You can eat in the well-priced Vines
Restaurant, wander through the gardens, or drink in the view of the hills
from the casual BBQ area.
Sally Gudgeon
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Enter the elaborate gates of Henkell to find a family-friendly destination with
a very relaxed ambience. You might find jazz playing, wine lunches in progress,
a concert, or you might like to dine in the reasonably priced restaurant, or just
watch the kids in the playground while you sip one of Henkell's regional wines.
Or take a stroll around the vineyard to restore your spirits with some fresh
Yarra Valley air.
Ralph Kyte-Powell
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Kellybrook is situated in gorgeous country rolling hills, bush, orchards, lush
pastures and verdant vineyard on the Melbourne suburban fringe at Wonga
Park. Despite its proximity to the city, Kellybrook is an eternity away from all
that hustle and bustle. Magpies carol, bellbirds ring, and a vast 110-year-old
oak tree beckons you to enjoy its shade. Try your hand at pétanque or visit
the good casual restaurant. The winery is unique in that very good cabernet-
merlot and chardonnay are made alongside a range of ciders and Cavados-style
apple brandy, all produced from local fruit.
Ralph Kyte-Powell
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Lovegrove is in an isolated pocket of Yarra Valley viticulture near St Andrews,
somewhat away from the Yarra mainstream. Still easy to reach from
Melbourne, this region has an atmosphere all its own. It's an artistic neck of
the woods; even the images on Lovegroves labels are by the late Clifton Pugh,
and wine quality is good. Picturesque views over gardens and ranges make it
an ideal place to while away some time, and antipasto, cheese platters and
light lunches are available to refresh the traveller.
Ralph Kyte-Powell
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This is the Yarra outpost of the giant McWilliams empire and, as you would
expect, it's a professionally run, substantial regional vineyard and winery in a
very pretty end of the valley. The wines are very good across a spectrum of
varieties and offer great value. The restaurant is a modern, airy space with a
central barbecue where patrons cook the selection of meats and seafood that
are provided with a good range of accompaniments. It's an excellent place for
a leisurely casual lunch while visiting the region.
Stuart Gregor
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Oakridge is a significant Yarra wine producer with real presence. The smart
contemporary café and cellar door are comfortable places to be, and the
lovely vistas of vineyard, lake, hills and valley are something to behold. It's a
soothing place, and the Oakridge wines have been getting better and better
in recent years, making it one of the must-see and must-taste estates in the
region.
Ralph Kyte-Powell
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Punt Road's name comes from Punt Road in the Melbourne suburb of South Yarra, the site of thriving vineyards 150 years ago. This beautifully tended modern vineyard is in the prime Yarra Valley heartland, sharing its location
with an apple orchard and a smart, comfortable cellar door. Punt Road wines are very good and fairly priced for their quality.
Ralph Kyte-Powell
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The Rochford Wines property is one of the Yarra Valley's true showplaces.
Follow the curved driveway lined with trees and vines to find a classy
restaurant, a cellar door among the barrels, a café and a broad outdoor
space for chilling out among the beautiful Yarra hills. A sound shell in the
grounds sometimes offers concerts to entertain and inspire. Wine quality
is very good, and tastings are available of both Rochfords Yarra Valley wines,
and the products of their Macedon Ranges vineyards.
Ralph Kyte-Powell
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This is one of the Yarra Valley's more isolated vineyards, but its one worth
searching out. It's a picturesque place among the rolling hills, with wild ducks
bobbing about on the large dam outside the restaurant and cellar door.
The restaurant offers wonderful country-style Italian-inspired food, much of it
baked in a wood-fired oven, and the cellar door has some of the valley's more
interesting wines, especially the gamay and the viognier.
Ralph Kyte-Powell
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The owners of Shantell Vineyard have been doing their thing since 1981.
Today there is a brand new 32-seat restaurant where you can enjoy Kate
Hall's seasonal menu and beautiful views. Most of the small production is sold
through the cellar door where they have one of the few semillons in the Yarra
Valley, and the award-winning 2000 cabernet sauvignon is particularly good.
Ben Edwards
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The drive to the cellar door of Steels Creek takes you through some gorgeous
Australian country and is worth the effort. Once there, immaculately tended
vines and a cellar door to match will greet you, with owner Simon Peirce on
hand to show you the only commercially released colombard to be found in
the Yarra Valley. The reds are dense and serious with plenty of savoury, earthy
characters, and the structure to suggest the ability to age.
Ben Edwards
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If you had to visit only one winery in the Yarra Valley, TarraWarra would have
to be at the top of your list. It's an immaculately kept place on a hillside with
superb views down the beautiful forested valley known as Long Gully, and
theres a smart café, wine bar and cellar door perfectly placed to enjoy the
wonderful ambience. Then there's the other aspect of this incredibly
impressive place, the TarraWarra Museum of Art, housing an outstanding
collection of significant works by Australian artists. As if all that wasn't enough,
the estates wines are excellent, especially the super-complex chardonnay and
pinot noir. Dont miss any of it.
Ralph Kyte-Powell
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Leon and Rita Tokar have realised their vision for their vineyard with the
establishment of a fine-dining restaurant, cellar and up-to-date winery. Tastings
can be enjoyed on the patio, and the views over the valley and the distant
ranges are among the best in the region. The mature vines produce highly
awarded wines, particularly pinot noir and a rare Spanish-inspired
tempranillo.
Ralph Kyte-Powell
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For a truly unique wine-tasting experience, make an appointment at Wonga
Estate with owners Jady and Greg Roberts. The couple do everything
themselves, from tending the vines, to marketing their wines to the top
Melbourne restaurants. Their micro winery is tucked away underneath their
cellar door/entertainment area, which looks out across their vineyard through
a screen of magnolias. Sit at their long Red River Gum table and listen to
their story, while you sample their estate-grown chardonnay and pinot noir,
and outstanding Heathcote shiraz.
Sally Gudgeon
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Makers of the famed Bastard Hill Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Yarra Burn
nestles below Mount Donna Buang, in between the towns of Yarra Junction
and Wesburn (hence the name). It was established in 1975 by David and
Christine Fyffe, and has been owned by the Hardy Wine Company since
1995. A striking vista of the Warburton Ranges greets you at the cellar door,
where you can choose from an impressive selection of wines; sparkling,
sauvignon blanc semillon, pinot gris, chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, shiraz
and shiraz viognier.
Sally Gudgeon
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Yering Station is set on the site of the valley's first vineyard, planted in
1838, and it is now one of the most impressive stops on any Yarra Valley
tour. The winery/restaurant/wine bar must be seen to be believed great
views, delicious food and excellent service create quite a package. The wines
are all good and the Yarrabank sparkling is one of the country's finest.
Stuart Gregor
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