Yarra Valley food, wine & balloon daytour

HIGHLIGHTS

• Hot air balloon ride with breakfast
• Coldstream Hills
• Domaine Chandon
• Yering Station Cellar Door & Produce Store
• Yering Station Wine Bar & Restaurant
• De Bortoli (producers of Noble One, Australia's most awarded dessert wine).

Your day starts very early, pre-dawn when you depart your accommodation for the Yarra Valley. Arrive at the designated site where you'll be briefed before travelling out to the launch site. Here, you can assist with the balloon launch or stand back and take pictures. And then you'll be air-bound, drifting above Yarra Glen, the vineyards and the meandering Yarra River. After flying for approximately 1 hour, you'll descend to pack up the balloon before travelling through to the Rochford Winery for a hearty champagne breakfast.

Our first stop for the day is at the Coldstream Hills Winery at Coldstream. Established by James Halliday, one of Australia's leading authors and commentators on wine, the wines are beautifully crafted and have enjoyed success at numerous wine shows, especially the chardonnay and pinot noir.

It's a short drive to the very famous and very French Domaine Chandon. Choose from a range of premium sparkling wines (methode champenoise) while nibbling on cheese and bread and taking in the stunning vista.

We then travel to Yering Station for a pre-lunch wine-tasting in an historic 1859 building surrounded by local artworks and produce. Established as Victoria's first vineyard in 1838, the current owners have restored it to its former glory and it is now one of the must visit vineyards in the valley.

Lunch is a short walk away through landscaped gardens in a stunning contemporary building with world-class views and cuisine. Browse the menu.

The day concludes at the De Bortoli Winery at Dixons Creek. As Italian as Domaine Chandon is French, it's a great finish to the day with superbly flavoured cheeses that compliment the sparkling, table and dessert wines

Our journey home can take us through Steels Creek and the rolling Christmas Hills. Expect to be back to your accommodation by around 6.30pm.

TOUR PRICING

Package

$485 per person (applies from 1/4/11 to 31/3/12).
$495 per person (applies from 1/4/12 to 31/3/13).

Includes

Deluxe transport, hot air balloon ride with champagne breakfast, tastings at nominated wineries, bread & cheese platter at Domaine Chandon, wine tasting, main course a la carte lunch, glass of wine and coffee at Yering Station, wine tasting with cheese at De Bortoli, bottled water, guide and GST.