Pauline’s Blog

I always find myself looking forward to summer, whilst winter is enveloping me here in the Yarra Valley!!   There is so much to look forward to; the balmy evenings where it’s light til late, BBQs with friends, healthy crisp fresh salads with ingredients straight from the garden, a glass of chilled Yarra Valley Rose with friends out on the deck at a winery.

And it got me thinking of my favourite Yarra Valley wineries in summer and I realised it is hard to pick them because they all have their own character and reasons to be picked!

Many open late as part of the Twilight Cellar Doors – I hope they run this again this summer.  Here goes:

– Mandala Wines has this lovely lawned area (pictured) to sit out on and enjoy the views of the vines and the hills from Dixons Creek, 

– Punt Road and Dominique Portet win if you want a game of petanque on the lawn,

– Tarrawarra Estate gets my vote if you want to sit on a lawn with a magnificent view.  De Bortoli takes gold if you want a nice informal al fresco area for spreading out a blanket, with one of their delicious platters.

– Oakridge competes with Tarrawarra on views, and has a gorgeous deck area for sitting out on. 

– At Whispering Hills you are almost sitting in the vines with your glass of Barbera, and Sutherland Estate wins the prize for the greatest elevation (approx. 200 metres).

– Pimpernel Winery has the prettiest cats and Medhurst Wines the funniest dogs, all of whom enjoy the attention from us visitors on a lovely warm summer’s night.

But they are just a few of my picks…where’s your favourite winery to head to in the Yarra Valley in summer?