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The Mornington Peninsula is in the centre of Australia’s Pinot Coast wine trail, which 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.
The Mornington Peninsula is located an hour south-east of Melbourne. It is also connected to Geelong via a ferry service that operates between Sorrento and Queenscliff.
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 Pt. Leo Estate, Port Phillip Estate and Willow Creek Vineyard 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.
The Mornington Peninsula has long been regarded a culinary wonderland, with numerous chef’s hatted restaurants, including the likes of Laura, Doot Doot Doot and Paringa Estate, among others. These restaurants have defined this reputation, offering some of the best dining room experiences in Australia. You can also savour fresh local farmgate produce grown in the area, as well as local cheeses, beers and spirits.
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 Mornington Peninsula, there are plenty of options among the vines. Wake up with a view of the vineyards at Lindenderry, or at Crittenden Estate’s Lakeside Villas. Jackalope is one of Australia’s best luxury hotels and its Rare Hare restaurant is perfect for architecture and food lovers. Meanwhile, the overnight experiences at Port Phillip Estate are a luxurious alternative.
Beyond the cellar door
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.
There are more relaxing experiences along the Pinot Coast wine trail as well. Arthurs Seat, on the Mornington Peninsula, offers incredible views out over Port Phillip Bay, and is easily accessible by a state-of-the-art gondola. The Peninsula Hot Springs near Rye is a perennial favourite, with healing thermal pools set amongst native trees and vegetation.
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.
Kate McIntyre
Moorooduc Estate
Rollo Crittenden
Crittenden Estate
Geraldine McFaul
Willow Creek Vineyard
Martin Spedding
Ten Minutes by Tractor
Michael Symons
Stonier
Marco Gjerga
Port Phillip Estate
Mike Aylward
Ocean Eight
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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