After our night on the town, Claudette and I both spent the morning working. As I wrapped for the day I got a text from her in the other room asking if I was up for going wine tasting. Do people actually say no that question?
We drove just 40-minutes from their home, through beautiful countryside and vineyards, to the famous Yarra Valley. I've been to many many wine regions, but I can honestly say I've never seen a vineyard with a mob of kangaroos hopping through it until then!
Our first stop was Mandala Wines. We had some excellent Pinot Noir here and also some great sparkling blanc de blanc. I'd absolutely recommend this stop!
From here we made our way to Chandon, not for a tasting but to have a lovely lunch in their restaurant which looks out onto the vineyards. The food here was excellent; we had a great charcuterie board and a goat cheese, asparagus, quinoa salad. They were promoting a new product called Chandon S, which is sparkling blended with orange bitters; very nice and refreshing with our meal.
At Coldstream Hills we tasted some really refined single vineyard Pinot Noirs. Another big thumbs up.
Our last taste of the day was at Punt Road. I can't say exactly why but I just loved this place! Absolutely delicious Pinot Noir (we tasted through various varietals also) at a great price! I even bought a bottle to bring home which I had said I wasn't going to do. And I just opened that bottle last week for some friends and we all loved it!
So there are just four lovely stops for the next time you are in the Yarra Valley. I've got a map now with about 20 more for my next visit!
Big thanks to my driver and wine guide Claudette!
Melbourne photos here
Other posts from this trip:
The Longest Way to Oz
An American Down Under
Meet Up in Melbourne
48-Hours Gold Coast
Welcome to Fantasy Island
Woolloomooloo