Yarra Valley
An hour from Melbourne's CBD and Victoria's oldest wine country: the Yarra Valley's cool Burgundian climate produces Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that have made it one of the most seriously watched regions in the country.
Experiences
6 itineraries matching your filters
Australian Wine Tour Company
Australian Wine Tour Company
Five Yarra Valley wineries, a long lunch at Balgownie, and an overnight option if one day isn't enough.
Duration
Full day
Capacity
Max 24
Evergreen Winery Tours
Evergreen Winery Tours
Boutique wineries, brewery options, hens parties and half days — the Yarra Valley for every group.
Duration
Half day or full day
Capacity
Max 20
Winery Day Tours
Winery Day Tours
Driver only, tastings included, or the full food and wine package — the Yarra Valley at three price points.
Duration
Full day
Capacity
Max 60
Rick's Wine Tours
Rick's Wine Tours
A bottle of wine per guest, guided chocolate tasting, and fruit picking — the Yarra Valley with extras.
Duration
8 hours
Capacity
Max 55
Red Carpet Wine Tours
Red Carpet Wine Tours
Five Yarra Valley wineries, all tastings covered, $109 — daily from Federation Square.
Duration
Full day
Melbourne Touring Company
Melbourne Touring Company
Award-winning Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula wine tours from $195pp.
Duration
9 hours
Capacity
Max 24
The Dossier
The valley is 60 to 80km east of Melbourne, about 60 to 75 minutes via the Eastern Freeway and Maroondah Highway. The drive is a gradual unwinding: outer suburbs giving way to farmland, then the folded hills and state forests of the Great Dividing Range. It's the closest great wine region to a major Australian capital, which means weekends fill quickly. Wednesday to Friday touring is an entirely different experience.
October and November, when the valley is emerald green and the weather is unpredictable in the best possible way, is the window most regulars quietly prefer. Harvest runs late March through May: Pinot Noir typically in March, Chardonnay to mid-April. Winter (June to August) is when the chefs and winemakers take their holidays; fires are lit by 11am in most cellar doors.
Pinot Noir and Chardonnay drive the region's reputation: elegant, cool-climate expressions with real ageing potential, quite different from warmer regions to the north. The food scene is legitimately world-class; the valley feeds Melbourne's best restaurant kitchens and has developed a farm-to-table culture entirely its own. Cellar doors range from the grandly scaled (Domaine Chandon, De Bortoli) to intimate single-hectare producers who open by appointment only.
