★★★★★
The six-guest food and wine day
The wine, the views and the Tim Tams, and a lunch worth having.
Randy G. · May 2024
Mornington Peninsula Food and Wine Day for Six Guests
Hotel pickup in MelbourneTastings in the fareLunch in the fareUp to 6 guests
A minivan collects you from your Melbourne hotel at 10:00, and six guests at most share the day. Two cellar doors pour a tasting each, the lunch venue pours a third, and lunch is two courses with a glass of wine. On the way home the van climbs the ridge for the view over the bay, and you are back in the city after about eight hours.
Your food and wine day, at a glance
Six guests at most
Small enough for the guide to pick the pours to your taste.
A pickup at your door
From Melbourne city hotels, or selected addresses on the peninsula.
Three tastings
Two cellar doors, plus a tasting where you eat.
Lunch with a glass of wine
Two courses from local produce.
4.9 from 28 reviews
A long record for a van that carries six.
Free cancellation
Full refund up to 24 hours ahead.
Six guests and a pickup at your hotel door
Epicurean Tours keeps this day to six guests in an air-conditioned minivan. That is the whole point of it: at a cellar-door bar, six people can stand together, ask questions and taste at their own speed. The guide collects you from the front of your Melbourne hotel, or from selected addresses on the peninsula if you are already staying there, and drops you back at the end.
No one in your group has to drive, which is the real problem a wine day on the peninsula solves. The cellar doors are spread across the hinterland and the southern coast, away from the train line and the bay-side bus. The region grows cool-climate Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris, and the day's pours run from Chardonnay to Pinot Noir.
At $192 a person, this is at the top of the fares for a guided wine day. What the price buys is the small van and the pickup at your door. Every other wine day is set side by side on Mornington Peninsula wine tours.
Two cellar doors, then a third tasting at lunch
The listed day has two hour-long tastings. The first is at Quealy Winemakers, the second at Pt. Leo Estate. Pt. Leo Estate sits on 330 acres on the peninsula's southern edge, looking over Western Port towards Phillip Island, and its 16-acre sculpture park holds works by Deborah Halpern, KAWS and Jaume Plensa among others. The estate opens daily from 11 am and takes its last tastings at 4:30 pm.
The guide chooses the pours, and travellers write of cellar doors picked to suit the group. Expect the venues to change with the season and the guide. The two named in the fare are the ones the booking shows today.
Lunch at Merricks with a glass of wine
Lunch is two courses made from local produce, with a glass of wine and a tasting at the same venue. The listed lunch stop is the Merricks General Store. Tell the operator about any dietary needs when you book, not on the day, because the kitchen plans for the group.
Nothing else needs paying for: the fare lists no exclusions. You may still want cash or a card for a bottle you like, since cellar doors sell what they pour.
The ridge on the way back
The last stop is a fifteen-minute pause at the Arthurs Seat lookout, on the ridge whose summit reaches 314 metres. On a clear day the view runs across Port Phillip Bay towards the city you are heading back to. Then the van takes the freeway north, and you are home by early evening.
Your eight hours of food and wine, step by step
- Pickup at your hotel. Out the front of your Melbourne hotel, from 10:00.
- South to the peninsula. The minivan takes you down to the wine hills.
- First tasting. An hour at the Quealy cellar door.
- Lunch at Merricks. Two courses, a glass of wine and a tasting at the lunch venue.
- Second tasting. An hour at the Pt. Leo cellar door, with the sculpture lawn beside it.
- The ridge lookout. Fifteen minutes over the bay.
- Back to your hotel. About eight hours after pickup.
Who this suits: couples and small parties who want a near-private wine day
Book this if
You want wine and lunch sorted, a pickup at your door and a group small enough to talk to the guide. You are all 18 or over. It suits couples, friends and anyone who would rather pay more than share a coach.
Book something else if
You want the lowest fare with wine and lunch: the food and wine taste trail from Melbourne costs $139 a person. You want to choose your own cellar doors and pay as you go: the hop-on hop-off winery bus costs $66 a person, with tastings paid at each venue. You want the pools as well as the wine: see the springs day from Collins Street. You use a wheelchair: the minivan is not accessible.
What's included
In the fare
- Lunch with a glass of wine
- Two premium wine tastings plus a tasting at the lunch venue
- Air-conditioned minivan
- Pickup and drop-off from Melbourne and selected peninsula accommodation
- Guide
Not in the fare
- Wine bought to take home
Getting picked up from your hotel
The operator collects you from the front of your hotel or accommodation in Melbourne's city centre, or from selected addresses on the peninsula. Choose your pickup point when you book, or head to a meeting point if you prefer. The listed start is 10:00, and the day ends back where it began.
Staying outside the city centre? Check that your address is on the pickup list before you pay. The drive and the other ways down are in getting to the Mornington Peninsula, and where each cellar door sits is on the Mornington Peninsula map. The estates themselves are covered on Mornington Peninsula wineries.
Know before you go
- Be ready early. The listed start is 10:00; one traveller was collected just before 9:30.
- Age. You must be 18 or over to drink.
- Diet. Give dietary needs at booking, so lunch can be planned.
- Confirmation. It arrives within 48 hours of booking, subject to space.
- Mobility. The minivan is not wheelchair accessible; strollers are fine.
- Pace yourself. Three tastings and a glass at lunch add up; water is your friend.
What travellers say about the wine day
★★★★★
The six-guest food and wine day
One of the best wine days of many, with the lunch venue at Merricks a highlight.
Julie M. · January 2024
★★★★★
The six-guest food and wine day
Four wineries and lots of tastings, and with so few guests it felt like a private day.
Carole G. · March 2020
Frequently asked questions
How many wineries does the day visit?
Two cellar doors pour an hour-long tasting each, and the lunch venue pours a third. The guide may vary the venues to suit the group and the season.
Is lunch included?
Yes. Lunch is two courses from local produce with a glass of wine. Give any dietary needs when you book.
Is there a bigger-group version?
Yes. The same operator runs an eight-guest food and wine day at the same fare, $192 a person. It carries two more guests.
Is there a cheaper wine day?
Yes. The food and wine taste trail costs $139 a person, with a winery lunch and a brewery stop, on a larger group day.
What if someone in our group does not drink?
Nothing on the day makes anyone drink, but the fare is built around the pours. A day built on the coast instead is the ridge, lighthouse and forts day at $87 a person.
Can I cancel?
Yes. You get the full fare back if you cancel at least 24 hours ahead. Inside 24 hours nothing is refunded.
Other ways to spend a day on the peninsula
Ready for a day among the cellar doors?
Check the dates still open, with a full refund up to 24 hours ahead.
Check availability