The Mornington Peninsula is one of the most beautiful and most popular wine regions in Australia. Located in southeast Victoria, the Mornington Peninsula is fringed by beaches with crystal clear water, and filled with wineries, orchards, dairies and excellent restaurants. It’s easily one of the best day trips from Melbourne.

The Mornington Peninsula Wine Region

There are more than 200 wineries in the region, and 50 cellar doors (tasting rooms).  Most of the cellar doors offer cheese boards & charcuterie, and many have fully fledged onsite restaurants. The wines are rarely exported, and as a majority of the wineries are small, your tasting is likely to be guided by a winemaker, an owner, or someone in the family who is passionate and knowledgeable about their wines and the region. An hour’s drive southeast from Melbourne, the wine region can be easily explored in a day if you’ve got your own wheels, alternatively, there are plenty of day tours operating in the area.

Surrounded by Port Phillip and the Bass Strait, the Mornington Peninsula is one of Australia’s few maritime wine regions, with warm days, cool nights and ocean breezes. A cool climate region, the Mornington Peninsula is known mostly for growing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The region is regarded as one of the premier Pinot Noir regions in the world, I think it produces some of the best Pinot Noir in Australia!

Port Phillip Estate

Port Phillip Estate is one of the most impressive cellar doors on the peninsula. The cellar door, which includes a tasting bar and elegant dining room, has panoramic views over the vineyards and out to Port Phillip Bay. It’s an architectural landmark, and has onsite accommodation, with six luxury suites. I visited in late 2019 with my friend Liv, during my three-week trip back to Australia to get my US working visa. We did a wine tasting at the bar, where we had the full attention of one of the owner/managers, who was warm, friendly and very knowledgeable.

Main Ridge Estate

I really love visiting smaller cellar doors, which produce wines that are just as spectacular as their larger rivals. Main Ridge Estate makes some of my favourite Australian wines, with a charming cellar door to match. The cellar door is housed in an inviting cottage with unbelievably picturesque views over the vineyard. We completed our tasting with a matched cheese flight, and our host spent a few minutes at our table with every tasting, to take the time to explain the wine and answer any questions. Main Ridge Estate is the peninsula’s first licensed winery, founded in 1975 by Nat & Rosalie White. The boutique winery is now run by their son, James, and Nat was awarded an Order of Australia medal for his services to the wine industry.

Crittenden Estate

Another successful family-run winery, Crittenden Estate was established in the 1980s. Winemaker and founder Gary Crittenden was the first winemaker in Australia to commercialise Italian wine varieties, bringing barbera, nebbiolo, dolcetto and sangiovese (my favourite) to Australia. Crittenden Estate has a lovely, modern cellar door, and a wine tasting is guided by friendly and knowledgeable staff, as well as tasting mats which encourage you to rank your favourites as you go.

Montalto

Montalto is one of the loveliest winery estates in Australia. Along with a cellar door, there’s an onsite fine dining restaurant, garden dining, a sculpture trail and beautiful vineyards. It’s very popular, and there’s often a long wait on weekends for a table or a spot at a wine tasting in the cellar door, so it’s worth making a reservation in advance.

Tucks

Tucks Wine is a popular, relatively small vineyard right beside Montalto. The cellar door is absolutely unpretentious, with friendly staff and wipe-down tables that guests are encouraged to make notes on while they enjoy their wine tasting. The on-site kitchen has a full menu of snacks and casual meals, which can be enjoyed on the verandah, overlooking the vineyard.  I went here with my parents and my brother in 2018, and it was one of the highlights of our day.

Stonier

Stonier makes my Dad’s favourite Chardonnay, so I was so excited when I realised that their cellar door is on the Mornington Peninsula. When my parents came to visit me in Melbourne, we took a day trip to the Mornington Peninsula, and this was our final stop. The cellar door is in a large shed, and is less glamorous than many of the other flashier tasting rooms, but the award-winning wines speak for themselves.

T’Gallant

T’Gallant is one of the most relaxed and convivial cellar doors on the Mornington Peninsula. It has a lovely picnic area outside the tasting room, with views over the vineyard. It was the first winery I visited on the Mornington Peninsula, in 2016 or 2017, with our friends Chris and Bianca, Michael and Julie. I still remember the sunburn I got that day, because it was the first warm day of the season and I was unprepared for the sudden sunshine. T’Gallant is very popular, and is probably best known for their sweet moscatos and pinot grigio. I’m not a fan of the really sweet stuff, but they have some lovely drier wines too, plus great woodfired pizzas.

Ten Minutes by Tractor

Ten Minutes by Tractor is one of Victoria’s most dearly-loved cellar doors, so the community was shocked when a fire destroyed most of the property in 2018. When we visited in early 2019, we visited a pop-up tasting room on the property. I’d love to dine at their restaurant when I’m back in Australia, it’s one of the most celebrated winery restaurants on the peninsula.

Point Leo Estate

Easily one of the most impressive and expensive fit outs on the Mornington Peninsula, Point Leo Estate has sweeping views over the ocean and a large tasting room and restaurant. While it’s very impressive to look at, when I visited in late 2019 it was teeming with visitors, and rather than squeeze in at an over-crowded bar for a wine tasting, we ended up leaving after taking a brief walk around the property. I’ll come back off-peak, perhaps on a week day or low season one day, for a tasting, and maybe lunch overlooking the water.

On my wishlist to visit:

Polperro, Paringa Estate, Red Hill Estate, Yabby Lake Vineyard, Moorooduc Estate, Eldridge Estate and Foxey’s Hangout.

Have you visited the Mornington Peninsula? What’s your favourite winery? What wine region in Australia (or the world) would you most like to visit? Share your thoughts in the comments.