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Ultimate Australian Winery Experiences: Best Masterclasses for Budding Sommeliers
Written by Nate Robinson
From century-old vintage tawny port tastings to masterclass wine blending workshops among the vines, take your sommelier skills next level with these winery experiences.
Ready to take your wine-tasting game to the next level? Australia’s wine regions are home to some of the world’s best vineyards, and you’re invited to go behind the scenes with immersive masterclasses and extraordinary tasting experiences to please every palate. Get hands-on and take a deep dive into how the country’s best drops are made, blend your own bottle with friends or family, or gift something extra-special to the thirsty oenophile in your life.
If you’ve tasted your way across Australia’s terrific terroirs, sipped and sniffed through countless cellar doors and know the difference between a tastevin and a Tazzelenghe, this one’s for you.
Ready to embark on an unforgettable wine journey? Our Ultimate Winery Experiences have you covered. Handpicked, carefully curated masterclasses and experiences among Australia’s most beloved wineries and cellar doors await, backed by incredible food, behind-the-scenes insights and tremendous tipples. Discover our complete collection of Ultimate Winery Experiences here.
Winery Experiences in New South Wales
Brokenwood Wines, Hunter Valley
In 1970, three hobby winemakers (one of whom was the renowned wine writer and critic James Halliday) bought a 10-acre block of land originally destined to become a cricket ground. Today, Brokenwood Wines remains one of Australia’s most reputable labels, best known for their Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz and ILR Reserve Semillon.
The Brokenwood Journey begins with a tutored wine tasting through six drops and six paired canapes. Next, peer into the world of winemaking on a behind-the-scenes guided tour through the historic Graveyard Vineyard, witnessing the barrels that originally put them on the map. Finish the experience by tasting wine straight from the barrel to explore the unique flavour profiles of ‘unfinished’ wine. Stay for some fine local produce at The Wood, the winery’s flagship restaurant, then retire to Chateau Elan, just a seven-minute drive away.
Winery Experiences in Tasmania
House of Arras, Bay of Fires
French tradition meets Tasmania’s unique terroir at House of Arras. The cellar door in the Bay of Fires offers Australia’s best sparkling wines, bottled according to strict ‘Methode Traditionnelle’ requirements. It’s a fascinating method: wine is fermented, blended, matured over a period of at least two years and tiraged with yeast and sugar. The resulting drop is crisp, complex and oh-so-sippable.
Take a sparkling scholar masterclass at House of Arras and uncover the ancient secrets behind Tasmania’s unforgettable terroir, tasting your way carefully across the winery’s award-winning finest.
Winery Experiences in Victoria
De Bortoli, Yarra Valley
Even in a land legendary for extraordinary wines, De Bortoli stands apart. The viticultural powerhouse, founded by Italian immigrants, has worked tirelessly for over nine decades to triumph over Australia’s wine scene. The De Bortoli Noble One Botrytis Semillon, a medium-bodied dessert wine defined by notes of apricot marmalade, fig and orange blossom honey, is one of the country’s most acclaimed bottles – it’s been racking up international awards since 1982.
Surrounded by spectacular views of the rolling, vine-clad hills beyond, treat yourself to an indulgent tour of De Bortoli’s Yarra Valley Cellar Door. Learn about the winemaker’s rich history and unique practices, pausing along the way to sip from barrels and tanks. End your visit at the Blending Table, a one-of-a-kind, hands-on experience where you’ll bottle, name and label your own sample to take home for yourself.
Dominique Portet, Yarra Valley
Despite his ties to French winemaking royalty, Dominique Portet is still the new kid on the block. Since 1976, the winemaker has tirelessly pioneered cool climate wine production in Australia, opening sparkling house Taltarni in Pyrenees, Clover Hill in Tasmania and a French-inspired estate in the Yarra Valley.
To fully immerse yourself in Dominique Portet’s generational history, an estate tour and wine tasting cannot be missed. Sample the renowned André Cabernet Sauvignon (and four additional exquisite wines) with only 12 other guests in the European-style Cellar Door and Bistro before wandering through lines of vines and lush lawns.
After the perfect Yarra Valley escape? One of the best places to base yourself is Yarra Valley Lodge, offering easy access to the region’s many delightful drops. The best time to stay? Autumn – days are mild, nights are cool and colourful foliage crunches beneath every step.
Tahbilk Winery, Nagambie
Hugged by whispering creeks and myth-steeped billabongs, Tahbilk Estate has a uniquely water-influenced terroir that’s distinct from the surrounding Goulburn Valley. Drawing on some of Australia’s oldest shiraz and Marsanne plantings – including a cherished half-acre of original un-grafted, pre-phylloxera vines – Tahbilk has been bottling magic since 1860.
Be guided by an expert wine ambassador and sharpen your wine-tasting skills at Tahbilk Estate’s interactive wine blending workshop, diving into two of Australia’s greatest drops – the fragrant, spice-driven shiraz and richly flavoured, darkly fruity cabernet sauvignon. Learn the secret art of wine blending and put your knowledge to the test, taking home your own bottle as proof of your success.
Ten Minutes by Tractor Estate, Mornington Peninsula
In 1997, three of the Mornington Peninsula’s best family-owned wineries, all 10 minutes or less by tractor away from each other, converged. Kissed by Bass Strait winds and rich with historic soil, Ten Minutes by Tractor Estate was born, producing hyper-regional bottles that draw on the area’s uniquely coastal terroir. Go for the fermented sauvignon blanc, which unfurls lazily on the tongue with savoury notes of bay leaf, honeydew and fennel, or try the blossom and rose-forward pinot noir, an exquisite variation on an old Australian classic.
Head to Ten Minutes by Tractor Estate’s private tasting room on an intimate terroir wine-tasting masterclass, sampling each inimitable drop. Eight cool-climate wines, including two limited-release bottles, await, each more dazzling than the last.
Winery Experiences in South Australia
Seppeltsfield Wines, Barossa Valley
Wine historians, rejoice: Seppeltsfield’s heritage draws on over a century of Australian winemaking history. The estate’s revered in modern winemaking for inventing and utilising the unique ‘Gravity Cellar’ – built in 1888, directly into the estate’s hillside to minimise handling – to create wine that’s defined by heightened aromatics, gentle flavours and rich tannins. Don’t miss Seppeltsfield’s single-vineyard grenache – grown on a highly-prized outcrop of ironstone, quartz and slate, it’s a supple, sultry drop that’s richly textured with notes of deep plum, strawberry and loose-knit tannins.
Embark on a once-in-a-lifetime journey through history on Seppeltsfield’s ‘Taste of History’ Tour. The experience offers the unique chance to walk through the winery’s Centennial Cellar – an extraordinary, unbroken lineage of annual bottles ranging back to 1878 – before tasting for yourself Seppeltsfield’s 100-year-old Para Vintage Tawny.
Mount Lofty House, Adelaide Hills
Escape into uninhibited indulgence and incomparable class at 170-year-old Mount Lofty House, a boutique designer hotel enveloped by the natural beauty of the Piccadilly Valley. Entertain a little adventure by vineyard hopping through the Adelaide Hills, then return to your little pocket of tranquillity.
While many wine tastings are hosted by cellar door staff, Mount Lofty’s wine masterclass is hosted by the hotel’s own Wine Director Liinaa Berry. Inspired by her travels, Liina decodes each different expression of wine, inviting you to understand the flavour profiles of grapes hailing from Burgundy, Adelaide Hills or New Zealand.
Once your tastebuds have perfected the art of tasting, continue to relax, revive and celebrate in style at three-chef-hatted Hardy’s Verandah Restaurant, explore the heritage wine cellar – home to more than 1000 bottles – or sip a nightcap at the sophisticated Hardy’s Bar.
d’Arenberg, McLaren Vale
Wine is an artist’s best friend – the grapes offer the ultimate canvas for creativity, while the terroir provides plenty of style. A unique tasting experience at d’Arenberg winery combines wine and art in a spectacular way. Only an hour from Adelaide, this charming wine house is famous for The Cube, a structure modelled after an unfinished Rubik’s Cube, home to an art museum and world-class tasting room.
The d’Arenberg Distilled Experience awakens all your senses with a tasting of current release vintages and three treasured wines from d’Arenberg’s cellars. Pay particular attention to highly-sought-after The Dead Arm Shiraz, famed for its richly balanced flavour profile. Ironically named after a devastating vine disease, this brooding glass offers tantalising notes of blackberry, plum, herbs and spice. When hunger calls, sit under d’Arenberg’s eclectic art collection and enjoy a two-course lunch before savouring the winery’s fascinating Salvador Dali Exhibition.
Discover our complete collection of Ultimate Winery Experiences here.
Looking for more inspiration? Check out our Guide to New Zealand’s Wine Regions.
