The more remote areas have a tendency to be forgotten due to the Yarra Valley’s prominence and accessibility from Melbourne. However, a few of the vineyards we stop at on our wine tours Melbourne to the Yarra Valley have their roots in Victoria’s more outlying areas.
A good illustration is Balgownie Estate. It was among the first to respond to Victoria’s renaissance in wine production, planting its first vines in 1969 under Stuart Anderson’s guidance, who would go on to earn wide acclaim as a winemaker. The location of Balgownie Estate in Maiden Gully on a gentle slope overlooking Myer’s Creek. It produces excellent cabernet sauvignons and shirazes as well as smaller plantings of pinot noir, chardonnay, merlot, cabernet franc, petit verdot, and viognier thanks to its rich alluvial soil and consistent but sparse rainfall.
Des and Rod Forrester, two wine-loving brothers, purchased the Estate in 1999, when the wine business was in full swing. As they improved quality and productivity in the vines and winery, they turned their business-minded attention to the Yarra Valley.
The current Yarra Valley property was bought by the Forrester brothers in 2002. The Yarra Valley receives more rainfall and is a little bit cooler than the Bendigo region. This makes it ideal for the growth of pinot noir and chardonnay, which have helped Balgownie win honors since 2003. The property now has a cellar entrance, restaurant, conference center, day spa, and 69 exquisite spa accommodations in addition to the 7 hectares of cultivated vines. Before settling down for lunch, our Day Tour visitors stop at Balgownie Estate for a wine tasting at noon.
The popular Char-Grilled Beef is currently available for lunch, along with other dishes like the Seared Salmon, warm farro, and blistered corn salsa verde, spinach, ricotta, and nutmeg ravioli, and Chicken Maryland confit with sautéed potatoes and green beans. In addition, conclude with a glass of your preferred red or white wine, tea, or coffee.
Visitors to the Yarra Valley property on wine tours Melbourne can, of course, sample, savor, and buy both the pinot noirs and chardonnays made there as well as the Shirazes, Cabernets, and other wines produced in Bendigo.
A premier resort, Balgownie. Whatever spa suite you choose—from the Standard Queen to the Director’s Suite—you won’t lack for anything. If you decide to join us on our overnight tour, you’ll be given a spa room complete with all the amenities. And if you choose the lavish Director’s Suite, you’ll have enough space for two couples, who will each have access to a private bathroom as well as free use of the resort’s fitness center, steam room, and indoor heated pool. When you book wine tours Melbourne with us, you’ll have a genuinely opulent experience in one of Australia’s best wineries.
If you are in Camberwell, Victoria 3124, and looking for a winery tour to Yarra Valley wineries or Mornington Peninsula wineries, this is the best way to visit us.
Winery Tour Yarra Valley
Unit 201/98 River Esplanade
Docklands, VIC 3008
(03) 7042 3201