Mornington Peninsula food & wine daytour

HIGHLIGHTS

• Willow Creek Winery
• Salix Restaurant
• Balnarring Vineyard
• Darling Park Winery
• Tanglewood Estate

We start our day around 9.30am and travel along the coast past Melbourne's beachside suburbs and then head inland to our first stop for the day, Tanglewood Estate at Merricks North. Tanglewood is a small family owned and operated winery where a warm welcome is always extended. First planted in 1984 the vineyard covers 7 acres, the principal varieties grown here are Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon. They are some of the oldest vines on the peninsula and as each year passes, they gain an intensity of flavour that younger vines cannot match. Biscuits and cheese complement the tastings.

A short drive away is the Willow Creek Vineyard. Established in 1989 the vineyard of 28 acres produces consistently good wines from estate-grown grapes. These include Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon.

After the tasting, we move into the light-filled, award-winning Salix Restaurant that overlooks the vineyard. (It's hard to imagine a more relaxing setting!) Here we enjoy a main course a la carte lunch and glass of Willow Creek wine, followed by tea and coffee. Browse the menu.

After lunch, it's a short ride through to the Balnarring Vineyard. It's quirky and unlike any other winery you'll visit on the Peninsula. The vineyard's owner, Kathleen Quealy, was involved in the early plantings of the now very popular pinot gris on the Mornington Peninsula. This is a much smaller operation than Willow Creek but it's no less interesting with Kathleen's left-of-centre approach to winemaking.

Our day concludes with a visit to the Darling Park Winery at Red Hill. Situated in a pretty valley and with a driven, meticulous winemaker this little winery has already carved a huge reputation. In addition to the familiar chardonnay and pinot noir, there are some unusual styles and varieties - Sparkling Pinot Noir, Sparkling Rose, Viognier, basket-pressed Shiraz and a Pinot Gris and Viognier blend – ensuring that most tastes are catered for.

On days they are open, we can modify our itinerary to include visits to Mornington Peninsula Chocolates as well as Red Hill Cheese.

TOUR PRICING

Package

$160 per person (applies from 1/4/10 to 31/3/11).

Includes

Deluxe transport, tastings at nominated wineries, cheese and biscuits at Tanglewood Estate, main course lunch with glass of wine and coffee at Salix Restaurant, bottled water, guide and GST.

Group Tours

For groups of all sizes, a similar day can be arranged. As a guide, the cost would be $100 per person, based on a minimum of 40 people and would apply from 1/4/10 to 31/3/11.

Tours are available on a daily basis with a minimum of 2 people. Private tours can be arranged, price on application.