Victoria - Sunday cruising on the Mornington Peninsula
Louise Johnson
The Mornington Peninsula's maritime location creates outstanding pinots. Photographer Adrian Lander [©Mornington Peninsula Vignerons Association]
If you want to have the full Mornington Peninsula experience in one day you need to get your skates on. This itinery is a great Sunday drive back to Melbourne, starting with a unique boutique vineyard in Flinders, we bring you over Red Hill to Dromana, where we're sure you'll be enticed to stay for dinner.
Stop 1 - Wine Tasting
The Nazaaray Estate Winery is a micro boutique winery and a truely unique experience on the Mornington Peninsula. It is arguably one of the smallest and southern-most vineyards, located near FLinders on the Mornington Peninsula.
The Winery was created when Nirmal and Paramdeep Ghumman migrated from India to the Mornington Peninsula. Nazaaray in Indian means beautiful visions - sometimes the sort that you see after having a few glasses of their wine! In East Europe the words "Nazdravlje" or "nazdraviye" mean good health or heaven.
Open: 11-5 pm on the first weekend of every month, or by appointment
266 Meakins Rd
Flinders
Tel (03) 5989 0126
Stop 2 - Olive Oil Tasting
Red Hill Cool Stores is at the heart of all the wonderful produce the Mornington Peninsula has to offer. They stock local jams, chutneys & relishes, local cheese, olive oils, honey, muesli, coffee and much much and also showcase wines from Elgee Estate and Baillieu Estate.
Proprietor Gillian Haig and her staff can help you sample some of the wonderful olive oil being produced on the Peninsula and help you find your perfect blend to take home. Don’t fill up though, the next stop is lunch
Open: 10am-5pm seven days
1012 Mornington-Flinders Rd
Red Hill
Tel (03) 5931 0364
Stop 3 - Lunch
Nestled between Red Hill and Arthur’s Seat you will find Main Ridge. With a winding “country lane” approach and lush rural beauty places like the Peridot Estate, which used to operate as a vineyard, are waiting to be discovered by those adventurous enough to turn off Arthur’s Seat or Purves Rd.
Enjoy fresh, delectable Greek/Mediterranean cuisine in the fully licensed 60 seat restaurant and whether you are dining on the deck or melting into our couches beside the open fire the view and the food will be memorable.
Open: For lunch on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and for dinner on Saturday and Sunday
284 Main Creek Road
Main Ridge
Tel (03) 5989 6688
Stop 4 - Wine Tasting
Planted in the red volcanic soil at the top of Red Hill on a north facing slope overlooking Port Phillip Bay. This terrior has a distinctive influence on the fruit quality and the wine character and flavour.
A magnificent view helps too, we’re sure, and if you can't tear yourself away from that view there are wonderful meze platters to see you through a lazy afternoon.
You must taste:
- 2006 Pinot Gris: Pale straw colour, cut hay aroma. Flinty minerally characters. Distinct musk and spice flavours sustain the long clean finish. This wine should age well.
- 2006 Chardonnay: Bright lively colour. Harmonious citrus and nectarine flavours. Velvetty mid palate mouthfeel. Nutty floral characters. A clean clear fruitline throughout, the Allier oak in subtle support.
- 2006 Pinot Noir: Garnet hue. Nose showing savoury tobacco leaf characters. Luscious dark plum and black cherry flavours,spicy pinot variatal definition. The Troncais oak plays a background role . This is a generous wine of considerable complexity.
Open: Open 11am - 5pm the first weekend of the month
520 Arthurs Seat Road
Red Hill
Tel (03) 5989 2362
Stop 5 - Wine Tasting and music
The cellar door at Hickinbotham of Dromana has a colourful history, and it’s worth asking while you sample the wines where all the pieces of the structure came from. The building itself is the old Hampton High School gymnasium, while the slate fire surround was rescued from one of Brighton’s last original beach houses .. and that’s just the beginning.
Hickinbotham’s is a 15 acre Vineyard surrounded by open grassed woodland and five acres is dedicated to Land for Wildlife and contains important remnant bush.
In winter a warm fire welcomes visitors, and most Sunday afternoons you’ll be lured into a long tasting session in the cafe by live music.
You must taste:
- Taminga: Available only by request. Taminga is a new grape variety developed by the CSIRO specifically for our unique Australian climate. Althought intended for high yield areas, this variety has proven to give more distinctive flavours when grown in cool climate areas such as the Mornington Peninsula.
- Sparkling Strawberry Kiss: Blush in colour, with fresh, ripe sparkling strawberries on the nose, makes this wine the all time favourite. As an aperitif, or for that special occasion to celebrate with people who share your sense of enjoyment. Try a glass of Strawberry Kiss and cake beside the fire.
Open: 11am to 6pm daily
194 Nepean Highway (Near Wallaces Road) Dromana
Tel (03) 5981 0355
Regions
- Melbourne Surrounds (VIC)
- Mornington Peninsula (VIC)
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The effervescent and creative Gillian Haig will guide VisitVineyards.com Members through a tasting of some fabulous regional wines, chocolates and olive oils of the Mornington Peninsula.
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Moving to Melbourne from India in the early 1980s, Paramdeep and Nirmal Ghumman, had no particular interest in wine and certainly no plans to start their own winery. winning wine awards, sharing their table with guests and planning culinary tours to India.
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