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HOW TO GET THERE
Australia’s Pinot Coast wine trail in Victoria covers 750km of raw coastline along mainland Australia’s southern edge. It spans from the eastern part of the iconic Great Ocean Road to the southeastern corner of Australia near Lakes Entrance.
Drive a little over two hours east of Melbourne to reach the heart of Gippsland, which is also on the Sydney to Melbourne coastal touring route for visitors who are exploring Australia by car.
The Cellar Door Experience
You won’t find any big, commercial tasting rooms along the Pinot Coast wine trail in Victoria. Creative, artisanal wineries rule, and it’s quite possible that your cellar door host will be the winemaker or the owner.
The Pinot Coast wine trail is also home to some of Australia’s most well-regarded culinary destinations. Many cellar doors offer lunch options throughout the week, from cheese platters and wood-fired pizza to more substantial offerings. Wineries such as Bass Phillip, Dirty Three Wines and Waratah Hills, among others, have award-winning restaurants that showcase the area’s independent producers.
The locals you’ll meet are truly dedicated to the region. In many cases, they’ve been here for years, figuring out the best way to get such beautiful wines from such an exhilarating landscape. They’ll show you what they’ve made and tell you about how they managed it.
Best Places/Things to eat
The Pinot Coast wine trail is one of Australia’s most spectacular culinary destinations. There are more chef’s hat-awarded (Australia’s equivalent of a Michelin star) restaurants here than anywhere else in regional Victoria.
Gippsland is an abundant area, considered one of Australia’s most prolific food bowls. The region stretches from the coast to the mountains, and produces award-winning beef, dairy and seafood. In the west, there is Cannibal Creek, where you can enjoy a wine tasting paired with some impressive French-inspired share platters. In the east, there is Sardine Eatery and Bar, a one-hatted restaurant known for elegant and sustainable seafood that is all sourced from Gippsland Lakes.
Best places to stay/types of accommodation
The natural beauty of the Pinot Coast in Victoria is evident in the region’s accommodation offerings, many of which offer views across Port Phillip Bay, Bass Strait or the vines.
In Gippsland, the accommodation caters to the more adventurous wine lover. Stay in cozy glamping tents on Phillip Island after enjoying the nightly penguin parade, or head inland for boutique hotels and bed and breakfasts. The towns of Meeniyan, Foster and Fish Creek offer boutique accommodation for those en route to stunning Wilsons Promontory, while Metung is a gorgeous village on the expansive lakes system in the east of Gippsland.
Beyond the cellar door
The raw, powerful southern coast is a drawcard for surfers, nature lovers and adventurers, as well as wine enthusiasts. Victoria’s Pinot Coast wine trail offers a diverse array of maritime and aquatic experiences, including surfing, diving, whale watching and exploring the coastline itself.
Port Phillip Bay is one of the most biodiverse areas along the Victorian coast. It is home to the weedy sea dragon, as well as dolphins, whales, fur seals, penguins and a huge array of fish. Visitors can go scuba diving, snorkelling or whale watching, particularly along the Bellarine and Mornington peninsulas in the Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park, or around Wilsons Promontory National Park in Gippsland.
What to take home
There are 146 cellar doors to visit along the Pinot Coast wine trail, so there is a diverse range of fresh, complex wines to bring home. Collecting an assortment of wines from Gippsland, Geelong and Mornington Peninsula will demonstrate the subtleties of these three regions – what sets them apart from each other, and what makes them similar.
The region is also blessed with local produce so pick up honey, truffles, cherries, fruits and more at farmgates, farmers markets and deluxe general stores. Visitors can even forage for mushrooms or pick their own strawberries.
The creativity that has been applied to the Pinot Coast’s three wine regions is also clearly evident in the trail’s chocolate, olive oil, preserves, cheeses, cider, beer and spirits, such as gin and whisky.
Marcus Satchwell
The Dirty Three Wines
Rick Lacey
Purple Hen
Phillipa Farr
Phillipa Farr Wines
Neil Travers
Waratah Hills
Phillip Jones
Bass Phillip
Tom Lightfoot
Lightfoot and Sons
Alistair Hicks
Gippsland Wine Company
Australia’s Pinot Coast wine trail wraps around some 750km of Victoria’s raw and spectacular Southern Ocean coastline. The trail consists of three distinct regions – Geelong/Bellarine, Mornington Peninsula and Gippsland – all of which produce outstanding maritime pinot noir. With some 146 cellar doors and some of Australia’s most acclaimed fine dining restaurants there are plenty of opportunities to try these wines.
For more information about exploring the Pinot Coast wine trail, visit visitvictoria.com/pinotcoast
The Pinot Coast project would not be possible without the generous support of Wine Australia, the Victorian Government and our wider sector partners. It is part of the Australian Government’s $50 million Export and Regional Wine Support Package and the Victorian Government’s Wine Industry Development Strategy funding.
For more information go to www.visitvictoria.com/pinotcoast
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