With over 200 vineyards and cellar doors, there’s a fantastic selection when it comes to Mornington Peninsula Wineries. One of Victoria’s lesser-known wine regions behind the Yarra Valley, the Mornington Peninsula is not only a perfect destination for wine, but also for beaches, hiking, food, and more.
It’s one of the most beautiful parts of Australia if you ask me, with rolling winery hills surrounded by the sea on all sides, and it’s truly a treat to spend time here.
I already had a hard time ranking the top Mornington Peninsula Beaches and Mornington Peninsula Breweries, but it may have been the hardest to rank the top 15 Mornington Peninsula Wineries.
To make it a bit easier, I listed the best Mornington Peninsula Wineries in 3 categories: most elegant, best for the whole family, and easiest to get to from Melbourne. Or, if you want an organized tour to take you around the peninsula to a selection of wineries and breweries, book this tour here.
The Best Mornington Peninsula Wineries for Groups/Family + Food (and Drinks of Course)
Here are the best 5 of the Mornington Peninsula Wineries for the whole family. This means there will be something for everyone at these places, whether it is reasonably priced food and drinks, animals and playgrounds, or even live music and events.
Hickinbotham of Dromana Winery
We couldn’t recommend Hickinbotham of Dromana more as one of the best Mornington Peninsula Wineries for everyone. It is a family-run winery, brewery, and restaurant that also has live music on most weekends.
The family is highly regarded in the winemaking industry, with their grandfather starting the first scientific winemaking course at Roseworthy College (also a not too well-known tale is he may or may not have invented the goon sack, but you’re going to have to ask the family that one).
The restaurant, Mintaro, is delicious, reasonably priced and has something for everyone. There is also a set menu for large groups of over 15 people, so it’s great for special occasions. With views of Mount Martha, the estate is beautiful to relax around and take in the scenery. We also highly recommend the beer, Hix, if you’re not the biggest wine fan.
They have also just added a dedicated cellar door for when it’s busy, just to make it easier and more relaxed for those who want some wines away from the hustle and bustle of the busy restaurant.
Yabby Lake Winery
Probably one of the closest of the Mornington Peninsula Wineries to the city, Yabby Lake is a fun, well-rounded winery that probably could have gone in any section. Located in Moorooduc, it is just a short drive down some small dirt roads off the freeway. Driving in, Yabby Lake gives a feel suiting of its name, with a large pond out the front that definitely looks as if you’d be able to catch a yabby or two.
The restaurant is delicious, with a seasonal menu that could be described as high-end and sophisticated – but worth the money. The wine offerings are split into two: Yabby Lake wines, as the higher end, and the Red Claw wines, your more affordable bottles.
Outside, you’ll find a small sculpture garden with some obscure artworks that overlook the rolling hills of Moorooduc and Mornington. Seated on a small lawn for the kids to play, the cellar door is close by and offers tastings and glasses for you to sip on and lay back.
We recommend booking if you wish to have lunch, as it can often be rather busy, especially during the summer.
Green Olive at Red Hill
Whilst Green Olive at Red Hill could fit in both the elegant winery and the family section of the Mornington Peninsula Wineries, we feel it best fits here for a few reasons.
Firstly, it has a really fun interactive feel to it – not just for the kids. There are animals to see, a dam to walk around, and a small playground (with a fence for those little rascals that are known to run off!).
The food has a Mediterranean feel, with a large selection of tapas and some delicious olives of course. Whilst it isn’t what we originally expected of a winery in Australia, it is delicious and great for lazy afternoons drinking wine in the sun.
The rest of the estate also has a wide range of things to do, taste, or use. For example, there are cooking courses, you can stay in the farm house, and they even have their own skin balm made from their olives.
Mont Rouge Estate
Mont Rouge Estate is more focused on the wine than most of the other Mornington Peninsula Wineries we have listed in this section.
The winery is on a french-styled estate and offers tastings in the cellar door. Because of the smaller and more intimate setting, we really recommend you give this a go to have a chat with the friendly staff about their wines. The restaurant is simple with mostly sharing foods, pizzas and a seasonal dessert menu.
Lately, they have been having special yoga sessions on the grass within the vines. Dreamy!
T’Gallant Cellar Door
T’Gallant is almost a household name in Victoria, and as one the Mornington Peninsula Wineries we recommend for families, it is great for lunch and a day out.
Its cellar door is reasonably priced, and its food is Italian-inspired with a range of pizzas, share-plate snacks, and dips. The vineyard itself makes for a great Instagram picture in front of the vineyard!
They also offer a wine club for those who like to make some orders to send home when having a tasting.
Most Elegant Of The Mornington Peninsula Wineries
Now it’s time for some of the more high-end wineries! I absolutely adored the wineries below, but it’s hard to know which of the Mornington Peninsula wineries are for you. If you’re the type that prioritizes high-quality food, amazingly scenic views, and some of the best wines (and doesn’t particularly care too much about the price), then the list below of 5 of the Most Elegant Wineries is for you. It’s also a great list for wedding venues or related events.
Point Leo Estate
Easily one of the most amazing of the Mornington Peninsula wineries for many reasons, Point Leo Estate has a Michelin Star restaurant, amazing wines, some of the best views you can find, and it has its own huge sculpture garden.
Point Leo Estate is owned by Australian multi-millionaire John Gandel his family. He is a prominent Australian businessman and philanthropist, and what better to do with all your money than build a sculpture park, winery and award-winning restaurant?!
The restaurant is pricey, however, so be prepared – but there’s a reason it earned a Michelin Star! The sculpture garden also does cost to get in, but it’s very worthwhile and great to combine with a wine tasting if you aren’t sitting down to a meal.
If you are on a day trip from Melbourne and want to check out one of the best Mornington Peninsula Wineries, this has to be at the top of your list. We spent the better half of an afternoon just doing the tasting and walking around the sculpture garden, but you could easily spend most of the day here if you had lunch too.
Main Ridge Estate
The second-oldest and first licensed winery of the Mornington Peninsula Wineries is Main Ridge Estate. Established in 1975 and still owned by the same family, Main Ridge Estate is well known to produce delicious chardonnay and pinot noir.
With a beautiful intimate sun-drenched deck, the venue itself is small and tucked away on a small dirt road on your way to Arthurs Seat. The venue often hosts weddings, too, so we recommend calling ahead. Red Hill Cheese is also on the opposite side of the road if you have time, reasonably priced delicious cheeses and wine… Need we say more?
Red Hill Estate
Red Hill Estate is another picturesque winery that has everything: an amazing view of the Westernport Bay, a delicious restaurant and an extensive winery, with tasting (of course!).
Well-known for weddings or hens for you classy ladies, this venue will truly impress you with its 46 acres of hillside vineyards. With six ranges of wine on offer, there is something for all the wine tasters.
The venue has two areas: the cellar door (which is first as you arrive) and the restaurant (which overlooks the vineyard and the bay). Perhaps do a few tastings in the cellar door and move on to a glass or a bottle with lunch, or grab a glass and sit on the hill!
Ten Minutes By Tractor
Ten Minutes by Tractor is technically not just one of the Mornington Peninsula Wineries, it is three – all ten minutes by tractor from each other! Located in Main Ridge, the restaurant is highly regarded and has an amazing set menu.
Whilst it can be quite pricey, starting at around $100, we recommend trying the seasonal menu and pairing with wine, at $195. If you’re going to do it, you might as well go all-out, right?! That’s our philosophy, anyway.
The restaurant’s wine is extensive and has both a shortlist of their own wines and a long list where you’ll find over 500 wines, for those of you who truly take your wine seriously.
Polperro Winery
Polperro Winery is more than just a winery, as with many of the Mornington Peninsula Wineries in the family section. With a restaurant, winery, accommodation and yoga studio, Polperro could also be in the family section but we feel it suits here better because of its high-end offerings.
The winery and restaurant open for lunch Wed-Sun and dinner Friday and Saturday – and are delicious! It is worth booking ahead! They offer a set ‘tour’ menu with paired wine (recommended), and also have the option of a cute little picnic for two!
The accommodation offered has two options, a Farmhouse stay or a few Luxury Villas on offer. These are perfect for those looking for a real treat of a weekend getaway from Melbourne.
Easiest Mornington Peninsula Wineries To Get to From Melbourne
As most Mornington Peninsula Wineries can be a little time-consuming to get to from Melbourne, we made a list of five of the best and easiest wineries to get to.
Most are just a short drive off the Peninsula Link Freeway located in and around Mornington and Moorooduc. This means they’re in the northern peninsula and not as difficult to get to as some of the wineries above. These areas are not as well-known for their wine, but are somewhat secret gems. Moorooduc is actually where I (Eliot) was born and raised!
Moorooduc Estate
Located very close to DevilBend Reservoir, Moorooduc Estate is more about the wine than many of the Mornington Peninsula Wineries. It’s also one of the older wineries, starting way back in 1982. It could easily be in the ‘elegant’ section of our wineries due to its wine selection and beautifully positioned vineyard right on top of a hill overlooking Mornington.
The wine is more expensive, but still not overpriced, and offers pinot noirs and chardonnays of varying quality and blends. The cellar door is open every day from 11 am, and also offers an exclusive series of Sunday lunches. These are quite exclusive, however – you have to be on the mailing list to attend, with a set menu from Jill’s Kitchen (email me@moorooducestate.com.au to sign up).
They also host something very uncommon of a winery, a tour of Wild Mushrooms by Cameron Russel. This tour takes you around Moorooduc, pointing out edible and dangerous mushrooms for your cooking.
As a word of warning, as a local, I have seen large tour buses here quite often. So make sure to call ahead; it is a small and intimate place. But hey, there are plenty of options down the road if it’s full.
Dromana Estate
Dromana Estate offers an all-round experience and has something for everyone, as do many of the Mornington Peninsula Wineries. Not far from the freeway, it boasts fine wine, a restaurant, accommodation and a venue for special occasions and weddings. It also has years of awards; it won Mornington Peninsula Winery of the year in 2017 and in 2018!
The restaurant focuses on local products and also has a selection of vegetarian meals. Open for lunch from Wednesday to Sunday, it also can cater to larger groups in an intimate, elegant homestead-styled property.
Phaedrus Estate
Phaedrus Estate is the easiest of the Mornington Peninsula Wineries to get to from Melbourne, and also one of the simplest in terms of offerings. It is located literally two turns off the Mornington exit of the freeway in Moorooduc, and is opposite the Big Goose kids adventure park.
The estate caters predominantly to the wine drinkers, with some cheese boards and menu items as well. It’s generally only open on the weekends, with some special openings in the summer. It really is more of a winery that produces bottles to purchase (than a whole day out venue), and you may have seen Phaedrus bottles in bottle shops and restaurants around Victoria. Either way, it’s still very worthy of popping into for a tasting or a glass on the weekend!
Stumpy Gully Vineyard
As you’ve probably realized, this section of Mornington Peninsula Wineries tend to be around the accessible Mornington/Moorooduc area. So, Stumpy Gully just had to be on the list! This winery is one of the oldest in the area – planting its first vines in the late 1980s.
With a great selection of wines both from the winery and notable wineries close by, as well as a selection of reserves made only in small batches, you’ll appreciate Stumpy Gully’s selection.
They have both a restaurant and a deck area for food and drink, and nibbles and share plates. The restaurant is open year-round, but the deck area is closed in the autumn/winter. We also recommend calling ahead as it can get quite busy during the summer. They also offer group booking menus, which only a few wineries do!
Barak Estate
Barak Estate (which doesn’t even have its own website) is probably the smallest, most intimate and least commercial of all the Mornington Peninsula Wineries. Whilst it may be last, it’s certainly not least!
This small estate actually has an award-winning chef who owned the Cara Mia restaurant in Mornington Main Street. Whilst off the beaten trail, Barak Estate offers small-batch fine wine from a family-run vineyard that you’ll even struggle to google. This is our recommendation for a hidden winery gem!
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