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.
Bay of Fires, Tasmania: Become a sparkling scholar with House of Arras’ masterclass
French tradition meets Tasmania’s unique terroir at House of Arras, whose 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 90-minute 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. The best part? After the masterclass, you’ll enjoy a 20 percent discount on bottles purchased on the day.
Yarra Valley, Victoria: Get hands-on at De Bortoli's blending table
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.
Nagambie, Victoria: Bottle up your own wine at Tahbilk Winery
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.
Barossa Valley, South Australia: Learn winemaking history and taste a century-old bottle at Seppeltsfield Wines
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.
Mornington Peninsula, Victoria: Uncover the secrets of terroir wine at Ten Minutes by Tractor Estate
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.
Discover our complete collection of Ultimate Winery Experiences here.
Looking for more inspiration? Check out our Guide to New Zealand’s Wine Regions.
