My wife found Passing Clouds online when looking for a place for lunch for our anniversary weekend…read more Arrived a little early planning on doing some wine tasting and were not disappointed, especially after finding that the tastings were (in my experience, unusually) free. It looks like the menu changes from time to time and the blackboard showed a selection of dishes and starters. There were two meat options for main, those being chicken or pork, with another two vegetarian options. I chose the pork to go along with my Pinot noir and my wife had the grilled asparagus. The pork was roasted and very nice. Peas and broad beans accompanied along with a minty salsa verde. The winner of lunch however was the goats curd on my wife's plate. It was amazing! I would recommend this place and definitely come back. That said, there are many many options in the area. Booking ahead is a must. There are several 2/4 person tables and a couple of long tables. Walk-ins seem to get seated at the long tables. Groups are catered for and on the day we were there, there was a party group downstairs among the oak barrels.

I went to Passing Clouds on the weekend with a large crowd of friends and family. It's a lovely…read moreplace, great grounds and facilities. The staff are wonderful and knowledgeable, creating a fun atmosphere and making you feel welcome. The food is fantastic, following the current trend of simplicity done well... everything is cooked on wood charcoal. They have a great deal where they feed you and they are very generous, the menu changes based on availability so it's likely to be completely different every time you visit. Word of warning, the Google Maps GPS directions will take you astray if not careful.

This is how wine tours should be done…read more We were picked up from our accommodation by Joe, our super friendly driver and host who's set up base in the heart of the region. Joe's not just a chauffeur, he's made it his business to get to know winemakers in the region on a personal level and proved a wealth of knowledge about who's who, and where's best to go. Heathcote is what the Yarra Valley was 20 years ago. It's a renowned wine region, especially for Shiraz, but it's not properly geared up for tourists just yet, so a knowledgable guide is indispensable. This tour will tend to avoid the lager, more corporate wineries, in preference for smaller boutique venues, where winemakers are often on hand to talk through their product and production methods. This was exactly what I was hoping for - if I can buy it at Dan Murphy's, I'm not interested when I'm on a tour. It's the littler places you'll only fine when here that have my attention, and Joe's too. That's why this kind of tour genuinely supports the local industry. We opted for the day tour, consisting of 4-5 wineries and a lunch. There's also a shorter version where you'll be whisked to 2-3 wineries over the course of a morning or afternoon. Go for the day, if you can. It's well sort it. Joe was relaxed, friendly and talkative in a good way. He was happy to accommodate a stop for coffee first thing, and adjust his plans depending on what kind of venue we fancied visiting or wine we felt like tasting. His suggestions were spot on. We benefited from being the only couple on the tour, but I can imagine a great time being had even if the small van was full. Totally recommended to all.

My wife was given a couple of wine tour passes for her birthday and I was more than happy to join…read moreher in the lovely Yarra Valley. After a quick coffee on Spring street, we were met by a van and Rocko, the tour guide, hopped out, opened the door and led us into the van. We made brief introductions upon the prompt of our guide and headed out of the city. A friendly tour guide, check. Our first stop was Domaine Chandon, for a nice bubbly hit to crack off the day. The tasting was paired with goat cheese and fig biscuits and included one glass of our choice amongst the four sparklings available. We opted for the sparkling rosé and the sparkling red, which were dry and interesting and a bit overly sweet respectively. The stop included a nice tour of the grounds and a bit of history of the development of champagne as well as the whole process involved in its creation. The next stop was at Train Track and that was easily the favourite. On our way up, our great guide have a little history of the vineyard and mentioned that it's a boutique vineyard. We started with a nice fixed menu of charcuteries and roquette salad and finished with fresh pizza from the wood oven. All was delicious and heartily eaten. Afterwards, we tasted from light to dark and were particularly taken with the pinot noir. This place is definitely one to return to. After Train Track, we headed to Yering to try their wares. At this point, the crowd was a bit rowdy and the history/local info took a bit of a back seat as a necessity of intoxication. The vineyard was charming albeit without a moose on the wall and the staff were doing a bit of blind tasting, which was amusing. We tried our best to try out way through the first two pages but missed a few glasses. As a general statement, the red offerings were rather citrusy in the finish. Lastly, and certainly a bit more friendly and full of cheer, we rocked on up to De Bortoli which is one of the larger and more commercial vineyards, as per our guide. This one was neat in the that there was a fromagerie upon entry. One of the Americans had an epiphany as to why the expression "to cut the cheese" exists to great elation. The wines were all in all pretty tasty, but our palates were a bit shot, so that might not be the greatest assessment. Rocko was very patient and didn't get cross with having to wrangle a bunch of tipsy wine tourists, which added to the overall experience considerably. The rest of the trip was a simple drive back into the city to be dropped off at various lodgings and the casino for us. All in all, a lovely wine tour and day.

Fantastic day out. This was my first time on a tour and I can highly recommend it. I loved all…read morethe wineries and the food was excellent at Train Trak - would definitely go back. It is really beautiful in the Yarra Valley too and our Tour Guide Michelle was so lovely. We had a great day, lot's of laughs, good food and wine. I've got friends coming to visit soon and will book again.

Had a great day with Arthur celebrating my wife's birthday. Arthur picked us up at our B&B with…read morefresh strawberries and the day got better. Arthur's very knowledgeable of the area's wine history and knows which wineries to visit to experience the area. You can't go wrong taking a tour with Plunge Wine Tours.

From the owner: Mornington Peninsula private winery tours that introduce guests to winemakers and wine styles…read moreacross the region

GLENLYON ESTATE (previously Ellender Estate)…read more Situated in the beautiful Australian countryside this winery had long been our favorite place to spend an afternoon while savoring their delicious thin crust pizzas and sipping on quality local wines... but now it's even better! The new owners Simon & Lee have managed to keep everything that was great (local produce, beautiful setting) and make it better than ever. With a wonderful energy and zeal for outstanding customer service they make you feel like a close friend who's been invited to their estate to share good times and great food (did I mention the pizza is our all time favorite). Bookings aren't essential but highly recommended to ensure you don't miss out and I would be sure to allow a few hours to really relax and let the beauty of the place sink in... can't recommend this place highly enough. Visited February 2017

From the owner: An Estate visit will reward you with friendship, knowledge and an understanding of our special…read moreplace.

I highly recommend Elevate Wine Tours for anyone visiting the Melbourne area. Ric was extremely…read moreknowledgeable and humorous - teaching us all about the history of the area, about the wines themselves, and even some Australian slang. Every winery he took us to was wonderful, and the lunch we had was one of the best meals of our entire trip. We did the private tour for 2 and had an incredible day.

From the owner: Here at Elevate we pride ourselves on delivering exceptional customer service. Our customised…read moreMercedes-Benz vehicle has a very spacious interior that is both comfortable and stylish. We can cater for almost any occasion, accepting group sizes of between 2 to 11 people. Tours include pick up and drop off, lunch as well as light refreshments while on tour. Please check our website for full details.

All wine lovers can agree that the best and most safest way to go winetasting touring is with a…read morewine tour guide who is friendly, professional, and knowledgeable about the best vineyards and winery to enjoy throughout Australia's Wine Country. That is Paul with Vinetrekker! We had an amazing time with Paul and several other couples that were on the wine tasting tour. Paul is extremely well versed in Australia's wine country and will take you to some of the best hidden gems off the beaten path. We had a fantastic time touring Yara Valley, CoBaw Ridge, Hanging Rock, Curly Flat and the Macedon Range Along with a stop for lunch at the Hanging Rock Cafe. We highly recommend Vinetrekker for wine tasting tours and ask for Paul.

I strongly recommend this wine tour!…read more Our tour started from an agreed upon location within downtown Melbourne. Upon stepping into the van I immediately noticed how clean the interior of the van was. Our tour guide, Paul, gave us a verbal history of Melbourne and the surrounding area as we departed for the Yara Valley. From the history of the settlement to cultural significance of areas we drive through he proved to be a wealth of knowledge not only about wine, but also about the local area. We visited 5 amazing wineries in the Yara Valley, and we saw diversity among them. From established vineyards that date back to the English settlement of the area to modern craft style wineries and everything in between, it was clear this tour held nothing back. The Van had water on board so nobody went thirsty between vineyards. At the first vineyard some wine tasting etiquette was covered and everything learned was applied throughout the day which added significantly to the overall experience. the lunch was amazing and if the highest quality offered within the area, fine dining with a view was an understatement as we were breath-taken be the scene. Though you can visit theses Vineyards on your own, the knowledge and social nature Paul Brings we're enjoyed by all tour goers. Though we were strangers from different cultures we soon began to enjoy each others company, highlighting how our own experiences from home compared to each other made for lively and entertaining lunch conversation. Though these conversations felt natural they were coaxed to the surface by Paul and his social charm. On the drive home we were able to find Kangaroos in their natural habitat and got as close as 10 feet from them within the safety of our van, something that was not guaranteed and in many ways thanks to Pauls familiarity with the area. This tour was exceptional value for money and everything Paul brought to the table was enjoyed by all tour goers! I would strongly recommend this tour for both tourists and locals as it is a brilliant experience! If I could give this tour 6 stars I would, that's how awesome Paul and Vinetrekker were today! Thank you Paul and Vinetrekker wine and food tours for making my first wine tour unforgettable! You will make a wine expert of me yet!

Fantastic venue with friendly staff, lovely wine and yummy pizzas. Felt like we had been…read moretransported to a relaxing country venue. Cute, friendly animals too. Forgot to take photos of the food, but got some pretty cute ones of tinkerbell the donkey

From the owner: Winery and Thoroughbred Horse Agistmentread more

Excellent Christmas party on Lady Calypso Nov 2018. Staff friendly and food amazing. We will be…read moreback.

We wanted to leave some amazing feedback after our amazingly successful Wine Tour (April 11 2015)…read more From the get go, Peter and his team were completed organised and professional. They were willing to go above and beyond for every thing that we needed and answer all of my million questions - never making me feel like I was asking too many questions and always had time for me. He was always willing to help me in any way he could. The day was such a success and ran perfectly. It was so smooth and we didn't have to worry about anything for the whole day. Thanks so much for everything! We had an amazing day and had great feedback from all of our guests!

A great location to enjoy a peaceful wine and pizza…read more Upon entry we were greeted by a Gentleman and provided with a sample of the onsite produced wines, for me it was the Pinot Noir We decided to stay for lunch and enjoyed entry & house made pizzas. I would defiantly return again for a good meal and wine.

From the owner: Take the time to visit Kyneton Ridge Estate and sample some award winning Pinot Noir, Heathcote…read moreShiraz, Macedon Sparkling and our newest addition, Sparkling Shiraz. Enjoy the summer breeze on our deck, or cuddle up by the fire in winter. We serve light cafe meals and Grinders coffee.