Sip and swirl
Greater Geelong and The Bellarine is one of Australia’s leading wine-making regions with its rich basalt soils over limestone base. Cool climate wines such as pinot noir, shiraz and chardonnay thrive but you’ll find other varietals too.
While wineries here flourish, so too do distilleries, breweries and cideries. And many are a big deal. The wines, spirits and beers made here scoop a barrel full of medals every year and a bunch of the wineries are five star rated by James Halliday.
As you tour through the down to earth, family run cellar doors you’re likely to stumble upon the owner or maker (sometimes the same person) who can explain the personalities of what they bottle up.
Throw in a smattering of bay views, historical sites reimagined, and it’s a region unlike any other.
In the early 1800s, Greater Geelong was Victoria's largest grape-growing region, and its passionate winemakers are to this day producing exemplary drops.
Austin’s Wines has a superb cellar door in a converted shearing shed. It also hosts a variety of top chefs in rotating kitchen residencies. Lethbridge Wines is among Australia’s most environmentally sustainable vineyards and their wine is celebrated by James Halliday and served at some of the finest restaurants around the world.
At Clyde Park the vista across the Moorabool Valley’s green valleys is magical. Try a guided tasting and wood-fired pizza.
Provenance Wines channels the south of France from within a heritage bluestone building at the Fyansford Paper Mill. Indulge the senses at its gable-roofed restaurant and cellar door.
At Oakdene Vineyards, an upside-down cellar door and other quirky adornments will greet you. Head where the locals go to Leura Park Estate - known for its artisan wines with fresh local fare.
Enjoy picturesque country atmosphere at OneDay Estate’s 14-acre vineyard. The winery was handcrafted by the owner using century old Queenscliff Marina timbers, local Catholic Church roof trusses and Barwon Heads Bridge timbers. Try small batch pinot noir, shiraz or riesling with wood-fired pizzas, burgers or paella.
Provenance Wines, Fyansford
Lethbridge Wines, Lethbridge
Something that makes the Bellarine wine region special, is its proximity to the bay. Many wineries boast stunning views, and the sparkling water serves as the perfect backdrop to a wine flight or long lunch.
At Terindah Estate, dine with panoramic views of Port Phillip Bay and the vines at The Shed restaurant. The à la carte offering includes delicacies such as braised short rib, truffle pomme purée, buttered mushrooms and Zinfandel jus. Then hop aboard ‘Peter’s Odyssey’ Tram Bar or order a bottle and lounge on the deck at the cellar door.
You’ll need a moment or two at Jack Rabbit Vineyard to fully take in the view, which looks out over the sparkling bay and You Yangs. It has a fine dining restaurant as well as a café onsite and wine tastings are delivered a little differently - drop in to experience their unique 'z blade' wine tastings.
James Halliday has given Scotchmans Hill five stars for two decades and also ranks it among the top 100 wineries in the country. The views across the bay and the old homestead are striking and so are the carefully considered meals at the restaurant.
Jack Rabbit Vineyards, Bellarine
Terindah Estate, Bellarine
Have you noticed how gin has become a whole lot more interesting in recent years? It’s not just gin and tonic anymore; there’s now a whole new movement involving experimental botanicals, exciting mixers like blood orange and grapefruit, and garnishes that add new dimensions.
At Geelong’s Anther Distillery, botanicals are crafted into imaginative gins and vodkas, from dry gin to bold black cherry. It’s all done beneath an iconic and historic smokestack amidst a former woollen mills precinct.
Over on The Bellarine, The Whiskery is a great escape for adults, with small-batch gin, whisky, and a spirited atmosphere often featuring live music. With wood-fired pizza and cheese platters, it’s ideal for unwinding on a long, lazy afternoon.
Family-owned Bellarine Estate has been making wine since 1996 but added to repertoire is Thirty Acres Distillery Gin. Buy it neat or grab cans of ready-to-go blood orange G&T, espresso martini and passionfruit mojito.
FarmDog Brewery offers FarmDog Gin with unusual flavours like pandan and pumpkin pie – you’ve got to try them!
Black Sheep Chamber of Gin is set in an 1880 bluestone wool store in Geelong’s CBD and offers a one-stop-shop to try five of the region’s distillers.
The Whiskery, Drysdale
Anther Distillery, North Geelong
Described as ‘Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory for beer, Little Creatures Brewery is housed in a 1923 red brick wool mill. In this brewery village you can take a tour, go to beer school, dine in the bustling Canteen, sample ageing beers, or grab a paddle and mingle outside in colourful laneways.
Queenscliff Brewhouse is set in an 1879 corner pub overlooking the bay. It has its own microbrewery plus the best local beers on tap. And why not make a pub crawl out of it? Mt Pleasant Rd Brewers, Blackman’s Brewery, and FarmDog Brewery are all must-stop destinations for lovers of craft beer.
For something a little different, Wallington’s Flying Brick Cider Co. makes its original, draft and pear ciders from Victorian apples and Packham pears – 100% fruit, no concentrates. It has a restaurant onsite to settle in for long afternoon.
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