Top scoring wine tour

Anyone who has visited Melbourne will know the city is surrounded by unique wine growing regions, the five most central being the Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula, Macedon Ranges, Geelong/Bellarine Peninsula and Sunbury.

Of course, one doesn’t have to wander much further to discover many more – Gippsland, the Grampians, Swann Hill, King Valley, Bendigo to name but a few. Each area can boast its own specialties – King Valley know for its Italian varietals such as sangiovese; Bendigo for rich bold reds such as shiraz; Macedon for is sparkling whites and so the list goes on.

Throughout the different regions wine buffs will find pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon, riesling, chardonnay, wonderful sparkling whites, even sauvignon blanc although to find one as good as New Zealand’s finest has to be, dare I say, a bit of a task.

Nevertheless it is hard to find fault with the wine growers of Victoria who produce exceptional wines, so good in fact that on a recent visit to Melbourne I invested in a couple to put away.

Having already visited the Yarra, hubby and I were keen to explore the Mornington Peninsula and after some research contacted Victoria Winery Tours, a company specialising in personalised tours of between two and 10 people. It was the best decision we could have made. So good, I’m now trying to persuade friends to take a Melbourne holiday with us and pick up on a couple of this company’s other tours.

Although our day trip was pre-arranged from New Zealand, we expected to be joined by several couples but on the day it was just we two and driver, Karelia . “Are you sure you want to do this? We are happy to go another day,” I said. But our protests were swept aside and we were off in the mini bus with a widely travelled, well-informed guide whose German heritage and life in both Chile (16 years) and in Australia made her a fascinating companion.

We had been told Victoria Winery Tours was extremely flexible when it came to requests and stopping at unscheduled venues. We soon found this to be true. Instead of taking the quick motorway route to the wine-growing district, our driver suggested the scenic coast road, an inspired suggestion. The outlook was stunning with much to admire along the way.

Eventually we swung inland making for an area of some 400 vineyards and at least 60 boutique wineries. We were to visit four but had been given no pre-warning of which four that might be.

“Sometimes I visit the peninsula area several times in a week so I like to visit different vineyards whenever I can,” said Karelia, who made every effort to consider our personal wine and food preferences.

As it turned out the four we visited couldn’t have been better. We started with Tucks, Ridge, went onto Montalto, then popped into Stonier and finished the day at Box Stallion where we also lunched at the vineyard’s Red Barn Cellar Door.

On route we took morning tea picnic-style at historic Arthur’s Seat, Mornington Peninsula’s highest viewpoint with a panoramic outlook from Murray’s Lookout over Port Philip Bay.

Named by Acting Lieutenant John Murray in January 1802 because it resembled Arthur’s Seat Hill in Edinburgh, England, it was a particularly scenic spot and there was even an iron chair in place to add fun to the name. We were sorry there was no time to explore nearby bush walks and a garden maze but we did get some great photographs.

From there, first stop was family-owned Tuck’s Ridge – friendly, rustic and the makers of a very fine 2008 Pinot Gris, which I brought home with us. This was a great start to our tasting tour.

From there it was a relatively short drive to Montalto Vineyard and Olive Grove where a magnificent sculpture collection stamped it as an extra special place. No only was the estate home to award-winning wines, its garden produce, olive grove, outdoor seating and lovely café, made us want to stay.

But alas there was just time to indulge some of the winery’s finest reds and to purchase a bottle of silver medal Pennon Hill 2007 Pinot Noir and also a bottle of Montalto 2007 Pinot Noir, a bronze medal winner at the Melbourne Show, which we intend to cellar for the best part of five years.

Next up was Stonier – my kinda place! A specialist producer of premium chardonnay and pinot noir, I liked the feel of this cellar door and quickly found a taste for its wine. Here I really splashed out on a bottle of Windmill Road 2006 Pinot Noir which I am saving for a very special occasion and I can think of a few. With the arrival of our first grandchild imminent I’m sure this delicious vintage won’t go astray.

As usual it was all too easy to linger and Karelia had to urge us on. Lunch was waiting at Box Stallion Winery but first a brief detour – I had just enough time to duck into Gordon Studio Glassblowers at Red Hill. The rural gallery owned by Australia’s leading family of internationally celebrated glassblowers, featured a stunning display of glass works which was well worth stopping for although my dollars stretched only as far as a beautiful pendant.

Finally, it was off to Box Stallion for our final tasting and lunch. Here the unique environment of former stables provided a pleasing finale. We opted to eat outside and make the most of the warm sunshine and green outlook.

Sipping a very fine chardonnay, we made short work of a shared platter laden with of smoked salmon, sweet risotto cakes, tomato salsa, sliced prosciutto, spicy dahl and olives before selecting a main course each from the likes of tempura battered zucchini flowers, a shredded duck stack with fried wontons, coriander, watercress, sesame seeds and a light, sweet soy dressing (wonderful), fish of the day and innovative salads – the perfect way to laze away an hour or two!

With the day advancing, I was just about past tasting more wine but not quite and our final tipple persuaded me to bring home a bottle of the Box Stallion 2005 Shiraz. As always I regretted not allowing more time for this beautiful region. I should like spend a night or two in this part of the world exploring the many antique and art galleries, gardens, seaside towns and, of course, award-winning vineyards.

The drive back to Melbourne was just as interesting as the journey down and we can only say a BIG thank you to Victoria Winery Tours for its outstanding service and thoughtfulness throughout. Having previously done the big bus thing, this more intimate and personalised tour was far more interesting and suitable for the amateur wine buff or the serious connoisseur. In fact, I would say there’s no better way to go.

LUNCHTIME: Relaxing at Box Stallions Red Barn Cellar Door restaurant.