Game of Rhones is a fantastic idea and hopefully continues for years to come. The format is proven…read morewith similar events such as Pinotpalooza, but it is enhanced with a funky theme being embraced by the producers. Medieval dress up party meets wine, what's not to like? There were about 175 wines on offer, which I made a valiant effort to sample the bulk of. To be honest, the only flaw with this format is that after about two hours, you have done a decent number on your palate, rendering most things to taste largely like each other. The app was a little clunky, but the direct ordering function was ingenious. Due to being financially challenged at the time, I could not take advantage of this wonderful feature. My one suggestion would be that a wider selection of food could have been good, especially if it were Game of Thrones inspired. Bowl of brown, anyone? Next time, I'm going to go in costume. In fact, I think it should be compulsory. I will also award a prize (may or may not consist of a handshake) to any winemaker who makes a Game of Thrones inspired label/branding.

I like drinking wine. So much so that I will vow never to miss one of these events from Dan and the…read morecrew at bottle shop concepts again. While I'm not a massive GoT fan i do appreciate a good dress up party and this did not disappoint, there were dragons and scantily clad queens and kings. For me though the 175 wines from the Rhone Valley stole the show. I think I may have tasted about 30% of what was on offer and ended up putting about $300 worth in my shopping cart that can be delivered to your door by the the lovely team at Prince Wine Stores. This in itself is what all other wine shows should be benchmarked on. Well done to everyone involved!!

This is the worst service I have experienced in my life. My sister made a reservation for a big…read moreparty to have a family gathering, and we were beyond disappointed. Especially since Cups Estate was more pricey that other places in the area, we expected our experience to be on par or better. Firstly- pregnant women beware. I'm pregnant and it was relayed during reservations. At the beginning of dinner a server did come up to me. However, she just handed me a menu and asked me to voice any concerns I had with the menu. The thing is, the menu just has the ingredients, it didn't not say how the food was prepared. The fish was smoked (which I would usually avoid) and the lamb was on the rare side. My sisters lamb was cold, and my uncle said his lamb felt a little off (he ended up having an upset stomach after the meal- whether or not it was really the food, I can't say) Second- the service was soooooooooooooo slow. The food also came out all over the place, parts of the table got food first while others were left waiting. It was so slow, my cousin asked for her coffee when the main was partially served. The server was like we still had another dish and encouraged us to get it after (more on that story later). The were so slow, my husband had to leave earlier to drop my daughter off at a nearby ranch to go horse riding. Third - we were on time for our reservation. However, there service was so slow, when the served the last dish they had the nerve to say we need the table back and we needed to free up the table in 5 minutes. Who the heck does that. They were slow on their own accord, yet they were evicting us from the table!!! WTF. I asked if we could get dessert, one of the servers said she would bring us menus, and if we were quick she could put it in. She went and gathered the menus but never gave them to us. I followed up and she said actually she can't serve us dessert cause there was no time. Fourth- Fine we couldn't get dessert, we asked about coffee. They reluctantly said yes and said we could gather around one of the small tables outside to drink our coffees. So we all crowded around an outdoor small table and the coffees came. When they came, another server came out and said that table was reserved and kicked us off that table! We were evicted from our table twice!!! We spent 2000+ Dollars for the worst dining experience in our lives! Never again! If you have a big party - Stay AWAY!

Beautiful boutique winery right next to the Peninsula hot springs, the cellar door and restaurant…read moreare in the same venue. It is an octagon shaped, compact building with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the rolling hills of the vineyard, with a few more tables outside. I can't comment on the food, but I've been here a couple of times for wine tasting. During the most recent occasion, they had 7 wines in their tasting repertoire which were all very good. The sparkling shiraz was the most interesting, and I didn't even know such sparkling existed until now. But the clear winner for me was their moscato. It ticked all the boxes in terms of sweetness and crispness, it's aromatic and light and reasonably priced for a bottle ($30). Unfortunately the person who conducted the wine tasting wasn't very engaging and rushed through the experience, probably because it was nearing their closing time, although that's no excuse. I came back because my first tasting here was amazing, the older gentlemen that served us was very knowledgeable and seemed to really love educating people about wine. But as I'm writing a review on this experience, I'm going to have to knock a star back.

Delightful setting overlooking Westernport Bay. Friendly service. Shady seating outdoors was…read moreperfect. Loved the wine flight option, tasting 5 wines at your own pace and at a very reasonable price. The sparkling red was beautiful and served chilled, so not poured initially; brought to the table when you are ready to drink it!! Great cheese platter option too, using several local products. Good coffee and a sweet treat even comes with it!! Will definitely return.

Now owned by Dick Wettenhall, this winery has improved the quality of its wines exponentially. Wine…read moreshow awards are starting to flow as improvements across the board are evident. Helped out by local winemakers like Marcus Setchell, Dick has been meticulous in his approach to improving the wines. The 2017 Orchid Label Chardonnay won Best White Wine of 2018 at the Gippsland Wine show, the cabernet, shiraz and riesling have all done well in various shows. Want a chat about wine? The Gurdies is the place to go! Well worth a visit.

Wow, what a beautiful venue... outdoor concerts.... Weddings...etc…read more. We enjoyed our wine tasting....prior to Rochford winery our sommelier worked 12 years in Napa... he pointed out the difference in each wine... very helpful... Our excursion also included lunch... I had the pasta dish.. it was so delicious with lots of wonderful flavors... A great bus ride through the countryside of Melbourne.

This was a stop on a wine tour I was a part of…read more Wine flavored gin?? YES PLEASE! The gin was good, but a lot of people within my tour agreed we needed tonic water, which they gladly gave us. Not only did we taste wine flavored gin, but we also had an entire wine tasting as well as lunch. I had salmon and the most delicious in-house made bread. I would definitely return here!

Had a great day with Arthur celebrating my wife's birthday. Arthur picked us up at our B&B with…read morefresh strawberries and the day got better. Arthur's very knowledgeable of the area's wine history and knows which wineries to visit to experience the area. You can't go wrong taking a tour with Plunge Wine Tours.

From the owner: Mornington Peninsula private winery tours that introduce guests to winemakers and wine styles…read moreacross the region

Coldstream Hills has quite the provenance; the connection to James Halliday is well known, but…read morelesser known is the fact that Halliday still has a house on the edge of the Coldstream property, overlooking this proud and well regarded winery. The Coldstream Hills cellar-door has a fantastic tasting "menu" and great special offers. The staff are incredibly knowledgeable not only about the wines, but the history of the estate. They discuss and share, without rushing. Needless to say, on a recent trip I was so impressed by the experience that I bought a few cases, including one of their Reserve Cab-Sav - a personal favourite. They're known for one of the best Australian chardonnays out there, but everything that comes from Coldstream Hills deserves some attention. Fantastic stuff!

This is a small and lovely setting with some really fabulous wines. James Halliday publishes the…read moreannual "bible" of Australian wines, so it's no surprise that his wines are all exceptional. The tasting room sits on a hill with a nice vista. The tasting we did took us from sparkling to sauvignon blanc through the delightful chardonnays, pinot noir, and a surprisingly complex merlot. The staff will take their time and tell you as much as you'd like to hear, or just give you a little information and let you savor the wine at your own pace.

During a recent trip to Australia, we had the pleasure of doing a special tasting with James at…read moreGiant Steps. As a fan of Pinot Noir and liking Chardonnay that is not heavily oaked, I loved all of the wines. We were treated to 3 single-vineyard tastes each of both varietals. We ended up taking back a whole mixed case to California. Thank you, James!

I've been a fan of Giant Steps since they first started making wine over 11 years ago, long before…read morethey created this terrific cellar door experience. These kids are clever. They know how to make delicious wine and have two ranges pitched at slightly different markets - The IB range pitched slightly younger or for what I like to call "Tuesday night drinking" and the Giant Steps which is high end, special drinking and what I like to call "stash it away for later" kind of wine. Each range offers terrific value and you can try both when you visit the cellar door, though the GS tasting will set you back a tasting fee of $10. On top of great wine, these kids know how to cook (pizza, shared-dishes) and know that to keep people happy you should keep them fulfilled with coffee (they roast their own), cheese (the have an amazing selection) and sweet treats (check out their take-home cake and pastry section). It's a massive venue, but don't go assuming you can just rock up unannounced. Giant Steps is hugely popular, particularly on weekends, so do yourself and your hungry family a favour and make a reservation well ahead of arriving.

For a small, not so over-the-top winery experience, try Kellybrook!…read more This is one of the oldest family-owned wineries out in the Yarra Valley and you can tell by the attention to detail and quaintness of the property. Out at the road is a beautiful historic house that holds the restaurant. Surrounded by lush gardens that bloom like crazy, the property isn't a mega-vineyard, it's just right. Inside the tasting room is dark and cool. Not overly musky, but it's not sterile. It looks like wine actually is made here (instead of showing how it could be made without actually being used...). They also have a GREAT selection: Apple and pear ciders, many white wines (from sweet Gewurtztraminer to buttery oaked Chardonnay), and many reds (from light Pinot Noir up to a strong Cabernet). The best, in my opinion, was their Port, and they even make an apple Brandy. Really a bit of everything with a family touch!

My wife and i had a great time at one of the oldest vineyards in Melbourne. They have a large…read moreselection of wine and ciders. The gardens are beautiful and the owners live on the property. Lots of history.

First stop as part of our winery tour and what a great place to be. Lovely wines our favourite…read morebeing the Rose and Sparkling Pinot enjoyed a glass of Rose outdoors within the outdoor area which provided some great views of their lovely garden and winery. Was peaceful and perfect. Our hostess was nice and provided us with great service and was accomodating. Would revisit for lunch to enjoy the beautiful views

Wines are all top-notch (and some a massive bargain considering the quality!), situated in a…read morebeautiful property, with warm and friendly cellar door staff (shout out to Jason - knows his stuff and is up for a chat!). They do lunches and dinners there too, but book out especially in nice weather, so plan ahead.