1. Crittenden Estate – $15pp tasting – open daily.
2. Trofeo Estate – $10pp tasting – open daily.
3. Willow Creek Vineyard – $5 or $25pp (premium) tasting – open daily.
4. Mont Rouge Estate – $5pp tasting – open Thurs-Sun.
5. Merricks Creek Wines – free tasting – open weekends.
6. Pt Leo Estate – $10 or 20pp (premium) tasting – open daily.
7. Myrtaceae Winery – free tasting – open weekends.
8. Montalto Vineyard – $10, $20 or $30pp (premium) tasting – open Fri-Mon.
9. Ten Minutes by Tractor – $12pp tasting – open daily.
10. Red Hill Estate – $5pp tasting – open daily.
1. Crittenden Estate
If you’re only going to visit one winery on the Mornington Peninsula, it has to be Crittenden Estate for their excellent cellar door tasting experience.
Found in the hills behind Dromana, it’s one of the oldest wineries on the peninsula and was recently announced as the world’s most sustainable winegrower.
For $15pp you’ll be seated at your own table and guided through a bespoke tasting of eight wines.
Whether you love red, rosé or white, tastings are tailored to your palate and the expert team have incredible knowledge of all the different varieties.
Definitely ask to try the acclaimed Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, which are signature wines of the Mornington Peninsula.
If it’s a warm day, choose to sit on the outdoor terrace overlooking the private lake, it’s a perfect spot to sip a little.
The wine centre is open daily and reservations are advised – you can book your wine tasting here.
2. Trofeo Estate
Located just up the road from Crittenden Estate (about a 15 minute walk), Trofeo Estate is the obvious next stop on your Mornington Peninsula self-guided wine tour.
The family-owned winery used to be a 1930’s canning factory which has been lovingly transformed into a cellar door and restaurant amongst 50 acres of picturesque vineyard.
Trofeo’s wines are incredibly unique, as they’re aged in Terracotta pots instead of wooden barrels.
Daily wine tastings at the cellar door cost $10pp, which is redeemable with a bottle purchase (walks-in are welcome, but you should book ahead if you’re a bigger group).
Whilst the cellar door experience is lovely, we actually preferred the seated wine tasting experience inside the restaurant.
At a table by the window overlooking the vines, we enjoyed the premium flight of wines for $36 accompanied by a huge grazing board of local meats, cheeses, breads and crudités.
The staff talked us through each wine at our leisure and whilst this is definitely more expensive than wine tasting at the cellar door, it was a really lovely slow afternoon.
Another great thing about Trofeo Estate is that all of the wines are 100% vegan friendly and grown using organic and biodynamic farming principles.
3. Willow Creek Vineyard at Jackalope Hotel
Possibly the most exclusive spot on the Peninsula, Willow Creek Vineyard is part of the brand new luxury Jackalope Hotel.
Whilst the price of a night’s stay at the hotel will set you back a pretty penny, daily wine tasting at the vineyard is cheap and no bookings are required.
For $5 per person you can enjoy a selection of the current release Rare Hare and Willow Creek Vineyard wines, and the fee is refundable with purchase.
Alternatively, for $25 per person you can taste ALL of the estate wines on offer, including the very limited release single block wines.
Now this is Jackalope after all, so if you really want to splash out you can choose the $175 per person experience which includes a guided tour of the vineyard and winery, a seated tasting in the spectacular Geode building, followed by a set menu lunch at Rare Hare Restaurant.
4. Mont Rouge Estate
Mont Rouge Estate is a charming little vineyard offering handmade estate-grown wines.
Wine tastings cost $5, but the charge will be waived if you buy a bottle or enjoy some lunch from the seasonal restaurant menu.
Open Thursday-Sunday, you can make a booking here for a tasting or lunch.
5. Merricks Creek Wines
Merricks Creek Vineyard pairs award winning wines with sharing plates amongst the vines.
Open at weekends, the casual cellar door experience allows you to meet the winemakers and try their Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Rosé without charge.
The tapas-style bar menu is excellent – offering Mediterranean classics like Spanish anchovies, meatballs, cheeseboards and charcuterie.
Merricks Creek is open at weekends only, no bookings are required and dogs are welcome.
Whilst you’re in the Merricks area, definitely stop off at Merricks General Wine Store, a Peninsula icon comprising a coffee window, a cellar door tasting room, a bistro and art gallery.
6. Pt Leo Estate
Famed across the Peninsula as an exquisite winery and fine dining destination, Pt Leo Estate cellar door is well worth a visit.
Offering two tiers of wine tastings daily, each with a flight of 5 wines, choose between the $10 standard tasting or the $20 premium tasting of vintage varieties.
$10 is redeemable against a bottle purchase, and if you stay for lunch and a wander around Pt Leo Sculpture Park, I can guarantee you’ll have a day to remember.
7. Myrtaceae Winery
Myrtaceae Winery is a wonderful little winery located near Arthurs Seat, which is run by husband and wife duo John and Julie.
Unlike some of the bigger commercial wineries on the Peninsula, John and Julie offer an extremely personal wine tasting experience at their intimate cellar door.
At Myrtaceae, you’ll sample small batch single vineyard wines served in rolling tasting glassware, which is designed to be rolled on its side to enable a full sensory exploration of the wine.
Open weekends and holidays, tastings are free and the wines are reasonably priced ($30-40).
After your tasting, you can head outside to the beautifully manicured garden and enjoy wine by the glass along with cheese and charcuterie boards.
The Selwyns Fault Rosé is really highly recommended, made from 100% pinot noir and bottled for immediate drinking.
8. Montalto
Montalto is a vintage vineyard found in the Red Hill area of the Peninsula with an award-winning winemaking team led by Simon Black.
At the intimate cellar door you’re invited to try a sample of Montalto’s highly acclaimed cool climate wines for a reasonable price.
For $10 per person you can taste seven of Montalto’s latest releases, for $20 you can try five of their unique Single Vineyard wines, and for $30 you can try three of their vintage ‘museum wines’ against three of their brand new varieties.
Bookings are essential for all cellar door tastings (Friday-Monday), so be sure to reserve your spot here.
After your wine tasting at Montalto, definitely head outside and enjoy the sculpture trail.
The 1km track through rolling vineyards and wetlands showcases 30+ brilliant sculptures and it’s completely free!
You can also wander around with a glass of wine in hand, which is really quite bliss.
9. Ten Minutes by Tractor
Ten Minutes by Tractor is a premium cool climate winery and fine dining restaurant on the Peninsula, named as such because it takes 10 minutes to travel between the three family vineyards by tractor.
Wine tastings at the sleek cellar door cost $12 per person and gives you access to 10 Estate wines explained in-depth by the experienced cellar door team.
The $12 is waived on each individual’s purchase.
Open daily, book here to make sure you get a spot.
10. Red Hill Estate
Red Hill Estate is one of the original vineyards in the area, and the late founder Sir Peter Derham was a pioneer of sparkling wine on the Mornington Peninsula.
A seated tasting experience here for $5 per person let’s you try the highly regarded Red Hill Estate prosecco, as well as all the usual regional varieties.
The cellar door is open daily and bookings are recommended.
11. Panton Vineyard and Cellar Door
This boutique vineyard on the southern side of the Mornington Peninsula puts a huge emphasis on the quality of their fruit and the taste of the wine reflects the success of this endeavor.
If sipping wines on the lawn overlooking wonderful views of the vineyard sounds good to you, then you’ll love it at Panton Vineyard.
Unfortunately, Panton Vineyard aren’t currently offering a ‘traditional’ cellar door wine tasting experience where you can try several wines at once.
Instead, visitors are invited to the beautiful location for wines by the glass or bottle, accompanied by local produce picnic boxes, which include Panton’s very own homemade cheese.
The special cellar door experience usually takes place on the first weekend of the month, but check their social media pages for exact details.
I hope you enjoyed my guide to the best Mornington Peninsula Wineries in 2022, don’t miss the best coffee on the Mornington Peninsula here.