Australia: Mornington Peninsula Victoria

A quick blog to inspire you to visit yet another of Victoria’s wine offerings. Already a convert to Yarra Valley and Bellarine, it was easy to add Mornington Peninsula to this state’s list of thriving wine scenes.

An hour’s drive south east from Melbourne, Mornington Peninsula unleashed some excellent wineries and restaurants set amongst vineyards resplendent in their spring glory for our 3 day girls’ trip.

Red Hill is where we based ourselves in the very pleasant Nafplio house. Set on 3 acres of olive trees and a working vineyard, we had a most comfortable stay.

Not too far away was Green Olive, also a farm with a vineyard and olive grove. Their restaurant provided good pinot and the freshest platters.

At Port Phillip Estate, we enjoyed a wine tasting, particularly relishing their Shiraz. After, we indulged in a sensational 3 course lunch with vineyard views. Without doubt, this was a highlight.

We nipped over to Polperro weaving our way through their beautiful gardens to the spacious outdoor patio. Very good pinot noir and small plates of chips and truffle sauce went down a treat.

The acclaimed Many Little Bar and Dining served up excellent Asian fare for us. The chef is Sri Lankan, the flavours are to die for and the roaring fire was much appreciated on a cold November night.

Many Little Bar is located in a shopping village in Red Hill. Here, you will also find the wonderful Epicurean restaurant. Yet again, we enjoyed seriously good food and wine.

Epicurean has a wall map featuring dozens and dozens of Mornington wineries. Our 3 days allowed us to sample just a smattering really.

Ten Minutes by Tractor gets its clever name from their three vineyards, each ten minutes by tractor apart. We did a wine tasting here and walked out with very positive reviews of their ‘Up the Hill’ and ‘Down the Hill’ Pinot Noir.

Hearty, well presented breakfasts are par for the course at the iconic Merricks General Store. A definite chill hangs in the air for this Queenslander, so Merricks warm and cosy cafe was a winner. There’s a wine cellar here featuring their wine Elgee Park as well as a most interesting boutique store The Traders.

A few hours spent browsing the shops in the town of Mornington yielded some gems. Locals and tourists alike were busy in the cafes and shops.

One thing that stood out strongly during our visit was the excellent customer service. Mostly young people: confident, skilled, friendly young people. In a time when customer service here in Australia is often hit and miss, it was refreshing to be treated so well.

On that cheerful note, I raise my glass to 3 superb days spent with good friends (such good friends) in such wonderful wine country.

As my friends made their way home, I spent time in Melbourne. The brilliant stage musical Moulin Rouge was playing at the Regent Theatre and in walking distance from my hotel (QT).