Yering Farm is the cutest little boutique winery that we stopped at during our Yarra Valley wine…read moretour. I enjoyed coming here because it was a nice change of pace from the other "fancier" styles of wineries. It was very peaceful and mellow here while we sipped wine in their farmhouse and gazed over the lush green fields. It was great for photo opportunities too. Our tasting wasn't paced the best and I wasn't a fan of every wine, but they offer apple cider as well which was a nice touch. This is one place that I recommend coming to without a tour because you'll be able to spend more time sitting on their porch relaxing and taking in the sights.

Yering Farm is this little boutique number in the wine drinking district of Yering. We managed to…read morecome here and taste about 10 different wines, all pretty spectacular. The boutique winery doesn't retail at your local bottle-o but you can find Yering Farms wines in restaurants and can order from the Yering Farm directly. We picked up a case of rose (only $10 a bottle) and some amazing desert wine. The lovely lady (Amanda i think) was happy to talk her way through all the wines and help us with anything we needed. The grounds were lovely and lush. All a lot to take in from the small shed where we were tasting from, the shed itself had such a great boutique feel about it. They had local artwork available to buy and sweet pieces on the wall (like a 'wanted ned kelly' poster).

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.

I cannot believe all of the good feedback comments as this was the very worst wine tasting we have…read moreever experienced. There was no greeting or details about the history of Chandon. We were served by a person who not provide us with any napkins. He even poured the different tastings into the same glass, unbelievable. This was an expensive tasting that really left us with a bad taste in our mouths due to how bad the whole experience was. I WOULD DEFINITELY NOT RECOMMEND ANYONE TO PAY FOR A CHANDON TASTING AS UT WAS JUST AWFUL AND A COMPLETE WASTE IF MONEY.

We arrived early for our tasting (that we booked months before, but looked like they had room for…read morewalk-ins), and are we glad we did. The bar area was beautiful and the Spritz was absolutely delicious! The tasting itself was very well done and they were able to answer all of our questions. We ended up buying a bottle as well as a topper that survived the flight back to the US. I'd definitely recommend Domaine Chandon for anyone in the Yarra Valley!

I made a stop at Oakridge Wines for a glass of wine whilst cycling. Carrie was super friendly and…read moreknowledgeable. She picked the perfect glass for my taste preference! And checkout the view in my photo!

Oakridge was our first stop in the Yarra Valley and we are certainly glad it was. We booked the…read moretasting in advance but it looked like they had some available for walk ins as well. The scenery is beautiful and the wine is even better, so great that we bought a couple bottles to fly back to the US with... and when we got home, it was confirmed that we still loved this wine!

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.

Gorgeous winery with beautiful cellar door and views. We we're lucky to come on a quiet weekday and…read morethe winemaker was peeing samples and chatting with patrons about his winemaking process and the vineyards. A great winery to enjoy while in the area!

We had an incredible time here. The views were phenomenal and the wine was even better. This winery…read moreis on par with some of the Napa Valley wineries that we've visited. This winery is a smaller winery. However, you won't regret the decision to come out here for the day. It's easy to see why they are Australia's top winery

Exceptional wines in a stunning historical setting. The cellar door, historical home & grounds are…read moreimmaculate. But what really impressed me was the knowledge & friendliness of the worker who was taking us through the tastings. Her knowledge of the wines was top rate and was matched by her in-depth details on Dame Nellie Melba's life. Her passion was evident as she wasn't simply reciting facts but engaging us with the contributions and achievements Dame Nellie made. Highly recommend a long visit.

Spending a weekend in the Yarra Valley and surrounding areas is indulgent, blissful and a good…read morechance to relax. The scenery itself is beautiful, yet only an hours drive away from the CBD. However my favourite part of an escape to the Yarra Valley would have to be exploring what the wineries in the area have to offer. Coombe Farm is owned by the family of the famous opera singer Dame Nellie Melba. It's one of the oldest vineyard estates in the area and offers free tastings seven days a week (Tuesday and Wednesday is by appointment, I believe). The tasting room is far more relaxed than other nearby wineries. I was there round midday on a Sunday and the two ladies working could not have been more helpful. They were informative, friendly and keen to educate customers about their range of wines. It was such a pleasant experience. Compared to other tastings at different wineries, Coombe Farm stood out as somewhere more enjoyable. I felt as though I could have sat there for ages, chatting with the staff like old friends and trying wines. In particular it was non-intimidating, so I felt comfortable enough to ask questions that I'd been pondering about wine. As much as I may love drinking wine, I'm not extremely knowledge on the subject and this was a great opportunity to ask and learn more as I tried. In contrast, I felt rushed and a little bit intimidated at other wine tastings in the area. Next time I visit Coombe Farm, I would love to relax outside on the deck and watch over the vines, with a glass in hand. I'm already dreaming of another lazy Sunday wine exploration!

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!

Off the beaten path, past the Sanctuary, down a dirt road and up on a hill is where you will find…read morethe Badge Creek Blueberry Farm. As we parked I thought, "okay, so there's only one other car here." Stepping in I was thinking to myself "uhhhh..." I really had no idea what to expect. Going to a blueberry farm, when it's not even blueberry season, what do you do here? Smart thinking right? But, I was reassured of my decision when we were immediately helped to try out some of the different beverages that they have. We tried the St. Ronan's Ciders: apple and pear. They also have another apple cider on tap. As I was trying these out, my eyes lingered upon the wall behind the counter, and I saw that they also offered a range of blueberry wines. How could I possibly come to a blueberry farm and not try out their blueberry drinks? After tasting the wine, sparkling and fortified, we chose a glass each of the blueberry wine. It's home grown and hand made, you are actually parking right beside the farm. Now the blueberry wine...first off, BLUEBERRY WINE! How cool is that? Not only does it smell just like blueberry pancakes, but it tastes like smashed blueberries, and takes you straight to blueberry heaven. It's very light, and it could be drank like a white wine, or you could make sangria with it. I've had other fruit wines before, but I had never tried blueberry, until now. And seriously, it rocked my world. Accompanied with a blackberry coconut cake and a side of ice cream, we sat down by the fireplace. It was...perfect. Tucked away from the busyness of Healesville on a weekend, this place is away from the crowds, so that you can recollect yourself to sanity. It's quiet, chill, and trendy with jazzy music. On a winter's day, with a cozy warm fireplace, wide windows to take in the views, and a glass of wine, how could it can get any better? They also have a good range of homemade jams and toppings. But my only regret is not taking home a bottle of their delicious tasty wine! I've been raving about it ever since! The blueberry wine, I just can't get it off my mind!