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Yarra Valley winery reviews

Yarra Valley wine region

Check out wineries in the Yarra Valley wine region independently reviewed by wine writers Ralph Kyte-Powell, Ben Edwards, Stuart Gregor and Sally Gudgeon.

Balgownie Estate

Balgownie Estate

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

Yarra Valley

Bianchet Winery

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

Coldstream Hills

Coldstream Hills

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

De Bortoli Winery & Restaurant

De Bortoli Winery and Restaurant

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

Domaine Chandon

Domaine Chandon

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

Dominique Portet

Dominique Portet

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

Elmswood Estate

Elmswood Estate

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

Evelyn County Estate

Evelyn County Estate

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

Yarra Valley Wine Region

Five Oaks Vineyard

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

Helen's Hill

Helen's Hill

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

HENKELL VINEYARDS

Henkell Vineyards

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

Kellybrook Winery & Restaurant

Kellybrook Winery and Restaurant

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

Yarra Valley Wine Region

Lovegrove Winery

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

Lillydale Estate

McWilliam's Lillydale Estate

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

Grapes

Oakridge Vineyard

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

Yarra Valley Wine Region

Punt Road

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

Rochford Wines

Rochford Wines

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

Roundstone Winery

Roundstone Winery and Bistro

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

Shantell Vineyard

Shantell Vineyard

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

Yarra Valley Wine Region

Steels Creek Estate

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

Tarrawarra Estate

Tarrawarra Estate

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

Tokar Estate

Tokar Estate

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

Wonga Estate

Wonga Estate

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

snow on vines

Yarra Burn

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

Yering Station

Yering Station

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