Over the weekend we headed to the Yarra Valley to check out some wedding venues. Lucky for us it wasn’t all work and no play! In between checking out the beautiful venues on offer, we managed to cram in a hell of a lot of wine and food. All for research purposes, of course! Because we have to have good wine at our wedding! We only visited recently, and I did a post about the best things to do, as well as my favourite cellar doors. But with so much to discover, we found some new great places that I had to share! So with all the new intel I gathered, I decided I would create a guide to the Yarra Valley – part two!
In this guide, I’ll highlight some of the great cellar doors we visited on our whirlwind trip, where we stayed and of course where we ate!
Guide to the Yarra Valley – part two: favourite cellar doors
We visited a few cellar doors in the name of research, and also when we had some spare time, and below are just some of my favourites from this trip.
Seville Estate
Seville Estate was definitely a highlight of this trip. We sadly didn’t quite make it there on our last journey so it was top of my list to visit this time around! Seville Estate won James Halliday’s winery of the year 2019, and also won the Gourmet Traveller Star Cellar Door for 2019. So with accolades like that, you know you are in for a treat!
I fell in love with this cellar door from the moment we walked down the path. The gardens are filled with Australian natives which make for a stunning walk. It’s something different to the green grass and rose bushes you typically find in the region. From their cellar door and restaurant, you get the most incredible views out over the valley, all the way to the distant mountains.
Their cellar door experience is fantastic. You sit down and an expert server brings you your wines to try. We opted for the premium tasting which was great as you got to try the Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Shiraz from the different ranges together. It was so interesting tasting the difference between old and new vines from the same year!
My personal favourites? Definitely their Pinot Noir and Shiraz. I also loved their Sparkling wine! However, I have to say all the wines were exceptional. It’s no wonder they’ve won so many awards!
DeBortoli
We popped into DeBortoli because we had a bit of time up our sleeves. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I was absolutely blown away by the gardens and vineyard itself. As far as the eye could see were rolling hills covered in vines. Closer to the cellar door, there were flowers everywhere. It certainly was picturesque!
The cellar door itself is tucked away and feels very cosy despite its size. We had a great tasting of the premium range, which costs a bit extra but is well worth it. It was really interesting comparing the wines from the different lists for their flavours. Turns out I loved the cheaper Pinot Noir – but I never would have thought that before trying! You also get a chance to try their Noble One dessert wine from different years which was really interesting. Even the difference in colour was amazing!
DeBortoli also has a restaurant on-site if you are after lunch or dinner. It wasn’t open when we were there but I’ve heard good things!
Even though DeBortoli is the biggest winery in the Yarra Valley, it didn’t feel super commercial. And the wines were quite delicious too!
Coombe Yarra Valley
Another one of my favourites from the trip was Coombe Yarra Valley. We visited it on our first trip to the Yarra Valley many years ago and so I was excited to go back! It certainly did not disappoint with its beauty or its wines.
Coombe Yarra Valley was once the home of Dame Nellie Melba – a famous opera singer. You can still see her original mansion and elaborate gardens on a garden tour from the cellar door. It would be worth a look if you can pull yourself away from the wines because the gardens are absolutely incredible! The cellar door and restaurant is at the front of the property which is surrounded by a 100-year-old hedge that looks like something out of a fairytale.
On to the wines. We tried their full tasting list and I loved all the wines! In particular, their sparkling wine was absolutely delicious. We also loved their Pinot Noir (which we took home), and their Chardonnay was super approachable. I could also see myself easily knocking back a few of their Rosés!
Mandala Wines
I was blown away by how good the Mandala Wines were. I had been recommended them by someone at work, and so I was excited to try them. The cellar door wasn’t as grand as some of the others in this list, but you don’t need a fancy cellar door to make seriously good wine!
I loved the service at the cellar door too. The guy serving us was so relaxed and approachable. He was part of the winemaking team so was able to take you through any questions you had. My favourite had to be their Mandala Pinot Noir. We didn’t have enough space in our luggage to take it home, but I really wish we had!
Helen’s Hill
We visited Helen’s Hill to try the wines that were served at a venue we were looking at. It’s a little tucked away but certainly worth the trip! The cellar door looks out into their barrel room, making for an impressive sight. But the wines were what I loved the most. We tried their premium tasting which meant that you could try the wines side by side from each list. I loved doing this to taste the difference between their Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Shiraz. Again, we ended up loving the freshness of the Pinot from the base list and purchased a bottle! However, I also loved their Chardonnay.
Helen’s Hill had a nice feel to it with a nice outdoor verandah where you could enjoy a glass or two of wine over some cheese. It looked like a place where you could easily enjoy an afternoon!
Guide to the Yarra Valley – part two: where we stayed
This time around we decided to stay at Yarra Valley Lodge. The reason being we knew we would be exhausted after a day of driving for my partner, and a day of drinking for me. Yarra Valley Lodge is perfect for people who want everything in one place. There’s a restaurant, a bar, gym, spa and a golf course if you’re inclined! There weren’t that many options left available for us so this ticked all the boxes and was relatively close to the wineries for a hotel. A lot of the bigger hotels are out near Warburton which is substantially further away from the wineries – so keep that in mind!
I found the rooms to be quite spacious, and the service was so great that they gave us two bottles of Sparkling wine to celebrate our engagement! I couldn’t believe it! We also didn’t manage to get through them.
If you are looking for something to eat, the restaurant was quite good. I really enjoyed the food, and they had a good wine list of local wines. The room charge also included breakfast which was a really good breakfast buffet. It was so good that I went seriously overboard and paid for it for the rest of the morning with how full I was! I am a sucker for a buffet, what can I say?
Guide to the Yarra Valley – part two: favourite eats
We didn’t have that much time in the Yarra Valley, but we managed to fit in some great food! Here’s where we had some incredible lunches.
Seville Estate
So we ended up being at Seville Estate for a good few hours because we decided that we loved the wine so much that we had to try the food. So they get a double mention in this post because I just didn’t want to leave! Seriously, this was up there with some of the best meals I’ve had in a while, and I’m getting hungry just thinking about it!
The restaurant focuses on fresh and seasonal produce, and because of that, the menu is changed regularly. An advantage of going here is that you aren’t stuck with a set menu either, so you can try what you want. The standout for me had to be the gnocchi. The waiter joked that the chef gets sick of hearing how good his gnocchi is and that they always have to have it on the menu. But it was seriously good, so I understand why! If you go there, make sure you look out for it!
The setting of the restaurant is also beautiful. There’s an amazing view out over the valley, and it’s got a really nice minimalist style to it which I loved. If you are in the area, definitely check it out for lunch, after a wine tasting of course!
Yering Station
On Saturday we decided to check out Yering Station because we were in the area and I hadn’t been there yet. Another one we missed last time! It’s one of the most well-known wineries in the Yarra Valley, and their restaurant area is absolutely incredible. Seriously, the architecture is insane, and it looks so beautiful as you walk up to it. Inside you’ll find views out over the Yarra Valley. There are no vines but we did get to look out over the field we landed in when we went on our hot air balloon ride, so that was just as nice for us!
You have to do a set menu for lunch here, but there were options to share a main. We opted for the shared main lamb, and it was absolutely incredible! Sometimes with set menus, I find they don’t give you that much food, but we really struggled to finish this! I was glad we didn’t order dessert!
The final word on this guide to the Yarra Valley – part two
So there you have another guide to the Yarra Valley for you. There truly is so much to explore in this region, and I feel like even though we’ve been there twice in such a short space of time, we’ve still only scratched the surface. Lucky for us there is still plenty to go back to explore and experience!