Yarra Valley is home to numerous winery restaurants where long lunches and high teas can be enjoyed against a scenic backdrop of rolling hills and expansive vineyards. Experience how world-class wines pair perfectly with hearty country cuisine.
Take your experience to new heights with a hot air balloon ride over vineyards at sunrise with Global Ballooning – they promise an unforgettable journey!
1. Winery Dinners
When it comes to wine and food, Yarra Valley excels. From its cool-climate wines – which set an international benchmark – to its pristine farmland producing freshwater fish, artisan dairy products and organic fruits and vegetables; from cozy bars and gourmet restaurants through cellar door dining at some of Victoria’s most acclaimed winery venues; there are something delicious available at every level here!
No matter what time of day or night, this region’s winery restaurants will certainly exceed your expectations. From contemporary eateries offering a la carte menus to charming cafes offering gourmet takeaway snacks, there is sure to be something suitable for every taste and budget in their selection of winery restaurants.
Winery cuisine has become a hallmark of the Yarra Valley experience and many winery restaurants have established an excellent reputation. Offering everything from cheese and charcuterie platters to gourmet pizza, each establishment offers something different and unique – with many offering stunning views across vineyards or hillsides.
Tokar Estate stands out as one of the Yarra Valley’s premier winery restaurants. Renowned for their award-winning cellar door and delectable cheese and charcuterie platters that pair beautifully with their wines, visitors often mention its welcoming staff as additional reasons behind its impressive popularity.
Yering Station Winery and Restaurant offer an exquisite gourmet lunch, where their menu focuses on small producers with whom the winery has long-standing relationships. Plus, their premium regional wines from both Yarra Valley and beyond – as well as an opportunity to try back-vintages – will please any wine enthusiast.
Quarters at Huberts Estate is a winery and restaurant situated on one of the most picturesque properties in the Yarra Valley, boasting uninterrupted views over vineyards toward the blue-tinged mountains of the Great Dividing Range. Meanwhile, Stones of the Yarra Valley provides an unforgettable dining experience on an historic property featuring rustic barns, stables, as well as rough-rendered chapel and dairy.
2. Winery Tours
The Yarra Valley is well known for its pleasant climate and unique sense of place – known in French as terroir – which refers to a combination of soil, climate, hills, topography and fluctuations in altitude that gives each winery its distinct flavor. This is especially evident among its iconic varietals such as Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Shiraz wines produced here. Many vineyard properties even feature restaurants with wine and food pairing offerings for an immersive tasting experience!
Yering Farm offers an unforgettable classic wine tasting experience at their cellar door with antique copper wine-making equipment, offering award-winning cool climate wines and northern Italian varieties from their family’s heritage. Or stop in at Locale Restaurant where their homemade pasta and zucchini risotto pair beautifully with crisp Chardonnays.
Domaine Chandon offers an exquisite range of sparkling wines from their Yarra Valley estate at their Cellar Door and Boutique, and also provide gourmet foods from local Victorian producers including Yarra Valley Dairy, Cunliffe & Waters Cheese Company Stone Crow Cheese City Larder as part of their Picnic Pantry for you to enjoy while relaxing on their lawns or shopping in their store. Perfect for enjoying as part of a picnic on their lawns.
Visit Mac Forbes Winery and go on a wine tasting and touring adventure, where their cellar door resembles something out of a film set reminiscent of France, complete with tiled terracotta floors and arched windows reminiscent of a Chateau there. Here, their Chief Viticulturist Steve Faulkner and Chief Winemaker David Bicknell’s philosophy of caring for their soil to produce world-renowned wines can be witnessed through tasting their exceptional bottles.
Touring an estate will showcase an exquisite display of floral beauty year-round. From Dandenong Ranges tulips and freesias to National Rhododendron Gardens’ abundance of rhododendrons and azaleas, spring brings vibrant blooms that you’re sure to enjoy!
3. Cooking Classes
Yarra Valley’s bucolic hills clad with vines have earned it a renown as one of Australia’s premier wine dining regions, but this affluent enclave boasts so much more. Not only are its restaurants such as Domaine Chandon or Oakridge known for serving high-end Chardonnay but it is home to world-class bakeries, caffeine dealers who rival those found in Melbourne CBD, and places that value its bounty that you may never see it through rose-tinteted lenses again!
Within all this decadence and indulgence lies an invitation to explore the natural beauty of Yarra Valley by way of hiking boots. You’ll be glad you did: waterfalls, native wildlife and scenic vistas await discovery here! If adrenaline-pumping activities are what you seek then take to the skies by taking advantage of a hot air balloon ride over Yarra Valley; its views are nothing short of cinematic!
An experience in Yarra Valley wouldn’t be complete without sampling some of its regional cuisine. There is an impressive array of restaurants in Yarra Valley to suit every palate – from high-end eateries serving local gourmet fare and wines to casual family-run bistros offering classic Australian meals at budget prices. Furthermore, several acclaimed cheese makers can be found within its borders.
Evergreen Vineyard offers the ideal way to sample the wines of Yarra Valley: an immersive four-course wine and food journey featuring signature dishes from various wineries in Yarra Valley with their exquisite wines – think crudo of kingfish from Coombe Yarra Valley, dry-aged duck from Oakridge, and roast lamb backstrap from Tokar Estate among many more delicious delicacies!
Yarra Valley wines pair perfectly with an array of cuisines. Pinot Noir’s earthy and forest floor notes pair nicely with mushroom and truffle dishes while it makes an ideal pairing with beef dishes.
Hop On Hop Off bus tours offer a convenient and comfortable way to visit Yarra Valley’s best wineries, restaurants, breweries, distilleries and producers on an ever-evolving itinerary. By customising your itinerary to suit your own schedule and providing all of Yarra Valley in one package.
Experienced visitors know that no trip to the Yarra Valley would be complete without tasting some of its mouthwatering bread. Home to world-renowned bakeries, don’t leave without satisfying your sweet tooth.
4. Wine Tastings
Yarra Valley has long been recognized as Australia’s premier cool-climate wine region, known for its award-winning chardonnay and methode traditionnelle sparkling. However, you don’t have to look far for value wines here: plenty of family-run cellar doors offer incredible deals.
There’s also an abundance of winery restaurants offering stunning valley views, as well as several chic Yarra Valley hotels to choose from. Oenophiles will appreciate dining at elegant winery restaurants like Eleonore’s at Chateau Yering or Meletos at Stones of Yarra Valley while bon vivants will appreciate visiting internationally acclaimed cellar doors; fun-seeking neophiles may discover intriguing newcomers while daytrippers can stop by for an unscheduled winery restaurant or cafe visit!
Are You Wanting to Experience the Finest Wines of Yarra Valley? Look no further than De Bortoli Winery, one of the region’s leading producers. At their cellar door or via their acclaimed “Create Your Own Pairing” class you can sample their outstanding vintages. After this visit head over to De Bortoli Permaculture Garden where Yarra Valley Wild Fermentation Classes or Tours of The Edible Forest can also be experienced hands-on.
Matilda Bay Brewery in Healesville has earned top ratings for their 100% renewable energy and traditional beer offerings, along with their use of organic ingredients and collaboration with local farmers in sourcing produce for its pub menu – such as Nashville cauliflower with smoked jalapeno cream, mussels in OWL beer and their Beyond Meat burger!
Join The Yarra Valley Touring Company’s Decadent AF tour for an indulgent day trip from Melbourne and visit five luxurious wineries of the Yarra Valley wine region on a chauffeured day trip, sampling some of their most celebrated vintages while dining on an extravagant four-course meal with wine pairings including Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz along with lesser-known varieties like Nebbiolo and Sangiovese – as a special bonus you will also experience Healesville Estate for private tasting.