Wine

Yering Farm, our first port of call (no pun intended), is situated on the site of one of the first vineyards to be established in the Yarra Valley. Offering a selection of both reds and whites, Yering Farm wines are made from grapes that are grown entirely on the property. The converted hayshed which acts as cellar door adds genuine “country charm” to the winery.

Perhaps it was the “country charm”; Jeff couldn’t help himself, he just HAD TO see what wines were on offer. Having happily sampled his way through three or four, he finally decided on the Chardonnay and the Shiraz. Looking very pleased with himself, and with a bottle of each tucked under his arm, we headed back to the car to continue our day out.

Oakridge is one of the larger wineries in the Valley. Owned in partnership with Evans & Tate, Oakridge produces wines that are popular both nationally and internationally. Offering a selection of reds and a couple of whites, it was the Rose that attracted Jeff’s attention. Having sampled everything on offer, and with all promises forgotten, we armed ourselves with a bottle of Rose and a Sauvignon Blanc and continued on our way.

The next winery down the road is the “new kid on the block”. Dominique Portet opened their cellar door early in 2002, and although the main building is fully constructed and the interior is finished, the grounds are still a work in progress. The selection here is excellent, and this winery promises to rival the Valley’s best. Jeff tried everything on offer, insisting that the Cabernet Sauvignon was a “must have”. So, you guessed it, we left with even more bottles in the car than before!!

Despite protests from the driver, Jeff absolutely refused to go into Eyton’s except to snap off a couple of quick shots. With the exception of DeBortoli’s winery, Eyton on Yarra would have to be the best of the ones we’ve visited so far. The Chardonnay is a real winner, but their red Cabernets blend is “heaven in a bottle”. It’s probably just as well we didn’t go in, the damage to the credit card would have been horrendous.

From Eyton on Yarra we drove into Healesville for lunch. Healesville boasts two majestic old pubs and an interesting selection of food outlets that cater to the tourist trade. The bakery, just across the road from the Grand Hotel, is an excellent choice for lunch. The pies, pasties and sausage rolls are all very easy eating, but for a real treat, the cakes and pastries are difficult to beat. Armed with a pie and cream filled apple concoction each, Jeff and I decided to eat on one of the many benches on the footpath (sidewalk) and enjoy the sunshine.

With lunch over we looked forward to a busy afternoon of wine-tasting…er…wine buying…um…photography???

First stop after lunch saw us at The Oaks, another recent addition to the ever-growing number of wineries in the Valley. The Oaks is a relatively small winery owned by a delightful lady who thoroughly enjoys telling her guests about her product. She offers two whites, a blend which has been called “Deschamps” and a creamy Chardonnay, and two reds one a Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot blend and a Pinot Noir . These are very easy drinking wines; already having broken all the rules we set out at the beginning of the day, we bought one of each on offer.

Allinda is one of the ‘Small Wineries’ of the Yarra Valley. The cellar door is built from the recycled timber of an old woolstore, and sits on a hillside from which there are some stunning views of the Valley. All of the wines are made from estate grapes (grown on the property). Offering three whites and two reds, Allinda wines are produced using a mixture of traditional methods coupled with the advantages of modern technology. The blend of old and new gives Allinda wines a distinctive flavour that Jeff simply couldn’t resist, and, you guessed it, another four bottles managed to sneak their way into the back of the car.

I suppose we should have known it would be inevitable. Perhaps we should never have tempted fate. But, what is a trip to the Yarra Valley without a stop over at the De Bortoli winery?

The De Bortoli family own and run two wineries in Australia: our ‘local’ in the Yarra Valley and the Bilbul winery in New South Wales. With vineyards in four different regions of the country, De Bortoli wineries produce a wide selection of both reds and whites, as well as a number of fortified and dessert wines. They also offer different “ranges”. From the Yarra Valley: Melba; Windy Peak; Yarra Valley; and, Gulf Station. From New South Wales: Deen; Montage; Willowglen; and, Sacred Hill, to name a few.

As you can see from the photos, the buildings and grounds here are really special, and with the sunny day that we had it would have been easy to run off more than a couple of films. I was keen to get some shots of the interior, but unfortunately (as is usually the case at De Bortoli) there was a bus load of wine tourists in, and so it was fairly well crammed with people. But, with Jeff standing guard over the camera equipment (and stopping the tourists from walking over me), I managed to get a couple of shots.

By this time, I was being given the “hurry on”. Someone (who shall remain nameless) wanted to taste the wares. Now, we already had a well stocked cellar, most of it De Bortoli wines. So you’d think that we couldn’t possibly need more…Silly me! I suppose, me being the ‘designated driver’ for the day was all the excuse he needed because by the time we left, another four bottles of red, two whites and half a dozen De Bortoli wine glasses had made their way into the back seat of the car.

More than twenty bottles of wine – and half a dozen new wine glasses – later, and it was time to get home and have dinner.

We now have an extremely well stocked wine collection which, unfortunately, is housed in cardboard cartons, stacked all over the house and garage, waiting for a certain “someone” to build the wine racks he keeps talking about…..



		Winery links ..................... Photos ..................... Facts about wines
	The nice thing about taking photos for the website is that we get to go places that we really should avoid. Let me explain… We decided to go into the Yarra Valley, one of Victoria’s premier wine-growing regions, to take some shots for the website. One of the most beautiful regions of Victoria, the Yarra Valley is situated approximately two hours drive North East of Melbourne. Surrounded by the hills of the Great Dividing Range, the Yarra Valley’s cool climate provides an extended period for ripening the grapes, which produces wines that may be consumed immediately but also mature exceptionally well. We promised ourselves faithfully that we weren’t going to go wine tasting, however, and we DEFINITELY wouldn’t be adding to an already well stocked cellar. So much for promises…
Yering Farm, our first port of call (no pun intended), is situated on the site of one of the first vineyards to be established in the Yarra Valley. Offering a selection of both reds and whites, Yering Farm wines are made from grapes that are grown entirely on the property. The converted hayshed which acts as cellar door adds genuine “country charm” to the winery. Perhaps it was the “country charm”; Jeff couldn’t help himself, he just HAD TO see what wines were on offer. Having happily sampled his way through three or four, he finally decided on the Chardonnay and the Shiraz. Looking very pleased with himself, and with a bottle of each tucked under his arm, we headed back to the car to continue our day out. Oakridge is one of the larger wineries in the Valley. Owned in partnership with Evans & Tate, Oakridge produces wines that are popular both nationally and internationally. Offering a selection of reds and a couple of whites, it was the Rose that attracted Jeff’s attention. Having sampled everything on offer, and with all promises forgotten, we armed ourselves with a bottle of Rose and a Sauvignon Blanc and continued on our way. The next winery down the road is the “new kid on the block”. Dominique Portet opened their cellar door early in 2002, and although the main building is fully constructed and the interior is finished, the grounds are still a work in progress. The selection here is excellent, and this winery promises to rival the Valley’s best. Jeff tried everything on offer, insisting that the Cabernet Sauvignon was a “must have”. So, you guessed it, we left with even more bottles in the car than before!! Despite protests from the driver, Jeff absolutely refused to go into Eyton’s except to snap off a couple of quick shots. With the exception of DeBortoli’s winery, Eyton on Yarra would have to be the best of the ones we’ve visited so far. The Chardonnay is a real winner, but their red Cabernets blend is “heaven in a bottle”. It’s probably just as well we didn’t go in, the damage to the credit card would have been horrendous. From Eyton on Yarra we drove into Healesville for lunch. Healesville boasts two majestic old pubs and an interesting selection of food outlets that cater to the tourist trade. The bakery, just across the road from the Grand Hotel, is an excellent choice for lunch. The pies, pasties and sausage rolls are all very easy eating, but for a real treat, the cakes and pastries are difficult to beat. Armed with a pie and cream filled apple concoction each, Jeff and I decided to eat on one of the many benches on the footpath (sidewalk) and enjoy the sunshine. With lunch over we looked forward to a busy afternoon of wine-tasting…er…wine buying…um…photography??? First stop after lunch saw us at The Oaks, another recent addition to the ever-growing number of wineries in the Valley. The Oaks is a relatively small winery owned by a delightful lady who thoroughly enjoys telling her guests about her product. She offers two whites, a blend which has been called “Deschamps” and a creamy Chardonnay, and two reds one a Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot blend and a Pinot Noir . These are very easy drinking wines; already having broken all the rules we set out at the beginning of the day, we bought one of each on offer. Allinda is one of the ‘Small Wineries’ of the Yarra Valley. The cellar door is built from the recycled timber of an old woolstore, and sits on a hillside from which there are some stunning views of the Valley. All of the wines are made from estate grapes (grown on the property). Offering three whites and two reds, Allinda wines are produced using a mixture of traditional methods coupled with the advantages of modern technology. The blend of old and new gives Allinda wines a distinctive flavour that Jeff simply couldn’t resist, and, you guessed it, another four bottles managed to sneak their way into the back of the car. I suppose we should have known it would be inevitable. Perhaps we should never have tempted fate. But, what is a trip to the Yarra Valley without a stop over at the De Bortoli winery? The De Bortoli family own and run two wineries in Australia: our ‘local’ in the Yarra Valley and the Bilbul winery in New South Wales. With vineyards in four different regions of the country, De Bortoli wineries produce a wide selection of both reds and whites, as well as a number of fortified and dessert wines. They also offer different “ranges”. From the Yarra Valley: Melba; Windy Peak; Yarra Valley; and, Gulf Station. From New South Wales: Deen; Montage; Willowglen; and, Sacred Hill, to name a few. As you can see from the photos, the buildings and grounds here are really special, and with the sunny day that we had it would have been easy to run off more than a couple of films. I was keen to get some shots of the interior, but unfortunately (as is usually the case at De Bortoli) there was a bus load of wine tourists in, and so it was fairly well crammed with people. But, with Jeff standing guard over the camera equipment (and stopping the tourists from walking over me), I managed to get a couple of shots. By this time, I was being given the “hurry on”. Someone (who shall remain nameless) wanted to taste the wares. Now, we already had a well stocked cellar, most of it De Bortoli wines. So you’d think that we couldn’t possibly need more…Silly me! I suppose, me being the ‘designated driver’ for the day was all the excuse he needed because by the time we left, another four bottles of red, two whites and half a dozen De Bortoli wine glasses had made their way into the back seat of the car. More than twenty bottles of wine – and half a dozen new wine glasses – later, and it was time to get home and have dinner. We now have an extremely well stocked wine collection which, unfortunately, is housed in cardboard cartons, stacked all over the house and garage, waiting for a certain “someone” to build the wine racks he keeps talking about…..