Melbourne Yarra Valley Wine Tours

[Connecticut Cruise Lover]

We will be traveling on Mercury from Syd to Aukland and then Aukland to Hawaii next Feb and March. We are looking to do some private touring at stops and I have a question about the wine tours offered from Melbourne. I'm hoping that some of you experienced travelers can help. Are there any particular wineries in the area that we should ensure that we see? Some tours offer " boutique wineries"- have any of you been to these wineries? Is it a more personal experience? Any tours that people can recommend? We are considering a tour that will also include the sanctuary. Is this worth seeing?

 

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

[SelectSys]

Melbourne is a great destination. Like many ports, there is way too much to see and do in a day. That said, the Yarra Valley is a great day trip. My wife and I did it via car a while back using the tourism victoria wine guide to plan our route - free at the airport.

 

You should really check out their site for ideas. They list tour operators. See the following link:

http://www.visitvictoria.com/displayObject.cfm/ObjectID.89283F2E-24EB-4610-B28393DCDB470957/vvt.vhtml

 

Have fun!

[Aussie Gal]

There are some great wineries in the Yarra Valley. I am not sure what sort of wine you like but we do have Domain Chandon which makes a very good Sparkling Wine, (we are not allowed to call it champagne here) even though Domain Chandon is owned by Moet and Chandon.

 

The Yarra Valley is also well known for its cool climate winds including Chardonney, Pinot Noir and Shiraz. All the wineries make excellent quality wine. Some of the well known wineries are Yarra Ridge, St Huberts, Diamond Creek, Fergusons, De Botoli. The list just goes on and on.

 

The tours usually take you to either Fergusons or De Botoli for lunch. Wherever you go, it will be a most enjoyable day as it is a very pretty area of Victoria.

 

The Sanctuary is a must if you want to see our Australian animals such as the platypus, wombat, kangaroos, emus, koalas and echnidas etc. If it is a hot day though, a lot of them will be asleep as that is how they manage in the hot weather. It is just up the road from the wineries and if you are in that area then you should not miss it.

 

Jennie

[Connecticut Cruise Lover]

Thanks to you both for your suggestions. Are either of you familiar with any of the wine tour agencies? There will be 6 of us for a private tour and there seem to be several companies that do tours in the area. Do you have any experience with any of them?

Thanks.

[Aussie Gal]

Thanks to you both for your suggestions. Are either of you familiar with any of the wine tour agencies? There will be 6 of us for a private tour and there seem to be several companies that do tours in the area. Do you have any experience with any of them?

Thanks.

 

 

As we live here we have always used our own car when visiting the Yarra Valley. I did find this link to a touring company which will take small groups and tailor the itinerary to suit yourselves. http://www.austwinetourco.com.au/premium.html

 

If you would like to give me the names of the ones you have picked out I will be able to tell you what I know of them.

 

Jennie

[SelectSys]

Thanks to you both for your suggestions. Are either of you familiar with any of the wine tour agencies? There will be 6 of us for a private tour and there seem to be several companies that do tours in the area. Do you have any experience with any of them?

Thanks.

 

Nope, our touring was on our own via a rental car. The visit victoria web site link that I provided lists about 6 or 7 wine tour operators.

[SelectSys]

BTW - we visited domain Chandon and liked it quite a bit. Took one of their "methode champange" wines home to CA

[trippy]

The Yarra Valley is a great place to visit, friends of ours did a tour with classic convertibes through the valley. They charge per car and you can take 4 people per vehicle so the price becomes more reasonable, you can find some info here: http://www.excursionworld.com/tours/249.htm

 

Restaurants at the wineries appear to be very expensive, maybe bring a nice picnic!

[aussi cruiser]

Hi Connecticut Cruise Lover we are on the Mercury Cruise Auckland to Sydney on the 6th January, The tour offered by the celebrity is great the only thing is that it dosnt visit the Healesville Sanctuary. The two wineries that they visit are good ones with great wines food and views,Tarrawarra Estate and Domaine Chandon. Melbourne Private Tours has a great tour that can include it all have a look at their web site all so the visit victoria web site also try viator.com.

Good Luck Melbourne and the Yarra Valley are beautiful so yop will have a great time no matter what.

[jane02]

My husband and I have just had a long weekend in the Yarra Valley. We stayed at Chateau Yering again and had a lovely dinner at Eleonore's Restaurant. It is a beautiful, relaxing place to base yourself.

The Wine Bar Restaurant at Yering Station is also fantastic for lunch - it has the most amazing views.

Jane;)