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From the King Valley’s Italian-inspired ‘Prosecco Road’, to Portuguese grape varieties hanging from the vines, you could be forgiven for thinking you’re in the climes of Europe rather than just a few hours from Melbourne, at these wineries in Victoria’s High Country.
Learn to blend the perfect drop for your tastebuds with Tahbilk’s cellar door manager, sip a bubbling glass of prosecco on a hilltop above Pizzini’s vines, explore the unseen pockets of Feathertop Winery’s private grape-laden vineyard and while away an afternoon over a charcuterie picnic on Brown Brothers’ lawn.
Together with Ultimate Winery Experiences Australia, we unearth Northern Victoria’s unmissable cellar doors and experiences – each with their own distinct European style.
Pizzini Wines – immerse yourself in Northern Italy along the Prosecco Road
You don’t need to leave Victoria to experience la dolce vita; instead, sip the fruits of Northern Italy at Pizzini Wines, just three hours from Melbourne. The vineyards here are a kaleidoscope of Italian varietals (think prosecco, sangiovese and nebbiolo), which can be enjoyed at the cellar door or outdoor prosecco picnic area (the ultimate Instagram spot). But for the true vino connoisseur, you can’t go past Ultimate Winery Experiences Australia’s The Maker’s Journey.
Take a 4WD through the mosaic of vines to a secluded hilltop, where your Wine Ambassador – sometimes Joel, the chief winemaker, other times Chaz, expert cellar door manager – will pop a bottle of prosecco over a red-and-white table-clothed barrel and regale you with the history of Alfredo and Katrina Pizzini. From the 1978 vineyard, venture into the winery and weave between stainless steel tanks, concrete fermenters and oak barrels; learning how wines age and taking your angel’s share using the ‘wine thief’ tool for a tasting right from the source.
Returning to the cellar door, take a seat in a private tasting room within Pizzini’s former tobacco drying kiln (the King Valley used to be strewn with tobacco farms). It’s here you’ll swirl, sniff and sip some of the finest wines outside of Italy – if Chaz is your Wine Ambassador, you’ll soon learn to love the nebbiolo varietal. Finish your journey in the courtyard, beautifully framed by rows of roses, where you’ll enjoy Mama Pizzini’s cooking legacy and Katrina’s expert farm-to-plate produce with an antipasti platter and your favourite glass of wine. Saluti.
Stanton & Killeen Wines – Portuguese-inspired drops in Rutherglen
This Rutherglen gem has been family run for more than 150 years – ever since its intrepid founder, Timothy Stanton, arrived in Australia from the UK in search of gold, but soon discovered his talents lay elsewhere.
Today, the vineyard marries the best of winemaking tradition with boundary pushing modern techniques, an approach that has seen it recognised with a five-star rating from the prestigious Halliday Wine Companion. Known for its Portuguese varieties and fortified blends, it’s the birthplace of Australia’s Best Fortified Wine (it was crowned Tyson Stelzer’s Fortified Wine of the Year 2024), the NV Rare Topaque, which is aged for an average of 25 years.
There’s no finer way to spend a day than with a tour and tasting, followed by a picnic of fresh local produce in the grounds surrounded by century-old barrels.
Tahbilk Winery – a taste of Bordeaux in the Nagambie Lakes region
It’s a 90-minute drive up the Hume Highway – winding through rolling mountains – to the picture-perfect grounds of Tahbilk Winery. The drive is thirsty work, so it’s only fitting that this heritage vineyard takes its name from the local Daung-Wurrung clans’ word for the area: ‘tabilk-tabilk’, or ‘place of many waterholes’. The extra ‘h’ was added for a touch of ‘French-ness’ (or ‘je ne sais quoi’).
Surrounded by 11km of the Goulburn River, 700 acres of vines, and a landmark, cathedral-worthy 1882 tower, this 160-year-old winery’s A Day at Tahbilk experience will transport you to Bordeaux before you even set foot out of the car. As you’re led down the gravel path through the original village square, back to the historic cellar door and into the underground cellar, you’ll gain an appreciation for the history and legacy of Tahbilk (five generations strong), where wines age, mature and ferment – some in barrels from the 1800s.
Become a winemaker for a day as you’re tutored by cellar door manager, Holly, who will help you craft a wine that’s truly tailored to you. Enrich your newly developed tastebuds with a two-course lunch at Wetlands View Restaurant, perched on the backwaters of the Tahbilk Billabong, with a glass of wine perfectly paired to each course (the arancini and corn fritters are exquisite).
Finish the afternoon with a stroll (or you may be offered an eco-cruise) among 8km of lagoons, curving billabongs and bird hides through restored wetlands, now rich with endangered and threatened species of watershield lily and Murray-Darling rainbowfish.
Brown Brothers – be transported to Spain with a wine lover’s picnic experience
You couldn’t ask for a more picturesque setting than Milawa winery Brown Brothers, King Valley winemaking royalty. Just under three hours north of Melbourne, lush swathes of grapevines – first planted in 1889 – make for the perfect spot to pop a bottle of signature prosecco and savour the best of the region’s fresh, local produce.
Find a spot in the shade of the winery’s original water tank, between Brown Brother’s Restaurant, wine bar and cellar door, where you can sip Med-inspired wines including tempranillo, graciano and dolcetto. While away the afternoon pouring glasses of prosecco and grazing on a gourmet platter packed with flavours that will transport you to Spain and Italy. Savour cheeses from nearby Milawa Cheese Company, fresh strawberries with candied walnuts, and homemade sourdough crafted from five-year starter, which pairs perfectly with the in-house blended olive oil.
