The Wine
With a selection of the Peninsula’s most acclaimed wineries and producers, this is the best opportunity to sample some of Australia’s favoured drops in the leafy and sea-salted surrounds of Mornington Racecourse.
A true celebration of local wine and food talent, The Peninsula Picnic, presented by Vinomofo seamlessly blends a foodie festival with cellar door tastings, a farmers’ market and the sweet sounds of some of Australia’s best songwriters.
Ten Minutes By Tractor
TEN MINUTES BY TRACTOR
Ten Minutes by Tractor winery started in 1997 with three family owned vineyards in Main Ridge, all ten minutes by tractor apart. Since then, owners Martin & Karen Spedding have opened a new cellar door, two restaurants and added four new vineyards.
The Ten Minutes by Tractor vineyards have their own unique character with different aspects, slopes, soils, altitude and cool ocean breezes which flow through the valleys from Bass Strait, Western Port and Port Phillip.
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Polperro
Polperro
Sam Coverdale and Emma Phillips have poured their heart and soul into Polperro, and it shows. The husband and wife team’s dynamic business encompasses two premium wine labels, Even Keel and Polperro; the Polperro restaurant, cellar door and luxury villa accommodation, a newly renovated, three-bedroom 1950s farm house (opened in September 2019), HotHut, a boutique yoga studio, Amelie & Frank’s, a designer clothing boutique named after their two young daughters; and the brand new bistro Many Little. All venues have been smartly designed by Hecker Guthrie and are based out of Red Hill on the Mornington Peninsula. The main Polperro site, home to the restaurant, cellar door and villas, is a stunning 25-acre property framed by ancient Angophora trees and offering a magnificent view of the vineyard below.
All of the businesses have been conceived and executed by Sam and Emma with the utmost care and attention to detail. This level of care extends to the environment, too; the Polperro agricultural businesses are committed to biodynamic, organic and sustainable practices across the vineyards and produce farm. Driven by a desire to give back to their flourishing local community, the couple’s every project has been met with excitement by an ever-growing number of Red Hill locals and visitors. At its core, Polperro is built around a passion for the great tradition of winemaking and for bringing people together.
Polperro wines are produced from single vineyard sites sourced only from the Mornington Peninsula, whilst Even Keel focuses on Sam’s broader interests concentrating on the best cool climate regions around Australia. Sam is involved in all aspects of wine growing and making, focusing on minimal intervention and sustainability.
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Montalto
Montalto
A visit to Montalto is an experience not to be forgotten; a moment out of the ordinary. The hatted Montalto Restaurant boasts a wood-fire grill, allowing the best of ingredients to sing, and the abundant seasonal produce of Montalto is given top billing. Locally sourced meats, fish and fowl showcase the very best the region has to offer.
Visit the cellar door to sample award-winning wines or walk the extensive Sculpture Trail which winds through the property.
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Rare Hare
RARE HARE
Established at Merricks North in 1989, Willow Creek Vineyard is an 11-hectare vineyard, producing estate grown and made wines, reflecting this unique site. Surrounded by ocean on three sides with a cool maritime climate, Willow Creek vineyard’s wines are a pure expression of the site. Winemaker Geraldine McFaul’s understanding of the terroir and its subtleties is instinctive, while her careful and complementary handling creates expressive wines where less is more. Manipulation of the intrinsic balance provided by each season is avoided wherever possible.
Rare Hare is a place defined by aspect, soil, and toil. Here, wines whisper a vinous vernacular, telling takes of seasons past and winemaking cast. No vineyard, vintage, or wine is the same and every moment of enjoyment differs too – shaped by the bottle, milieu, food, or mood. This is a place to ensconce in, not just see – where crafted curiosities from surrounding farms are best consumed excessively and between robust repartee.
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Willow Creek Vineyard
WILLOW CREEK VINEYARD
Fertile grazing land for over 100 years prior, the 11-hectare Willow Creek Vineyard was planted in 1989. Surrounded by ocean on three sides with a cool maritime climate, Willow Creek Vineyard’s wineries are a pure expression of the site. Winemaker Geraldine McFaul’s understanding of the terroir and its subtleties is instinctive, while her careful and complementary handling creates expressive wines where less is more. Manipulation of the intrinsic balance provided by each season is avoided where possible.
Willow Creed Vineyard Chardonnay typically exhibits notes of stone fruit and citrus, while a judicious touch of new French oak bestows a delicate nutty character. The palate balances a creamy texture against a backbone of flint, while a fresh line of acidity drives the palate. Our Pinot Noir is enticingly perfumed, displaying lifted aromas of wild red cherries and forest floor, while the palate possesses a structured elegance of finely etched tannins. A portion of whole-bunch and carbonic maceration yields greater structure and complexity to the fruit from our O’Leary Block.
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Merricks General Wine Store
MERRICKS GENERAL WINE STORE
Home to the Peninsula’s oldest vineyard, Elgee Park, as well as Baillieu wines, Merricks General Wine Store is a haven of local drops. With both labels 100% estate grown and hand harvested the resulting vintages are distinct to the region.
The cellar door stocks wines from these two labels, as well as 20 other local wines, making it a must-visit for wine drinkers with a penchant for a unique drop.
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Prancing Horse
PRANCING HORSE
No one in Australia does what Biodynamic Pioneer and Prancing Horse Estate proprietor, Tony Hancy, does in his cellar door. With stunning views across Western Port Bay and a selection of some of the region’s best wines, Tony opens on weekends to give guests the chance to taste local wines alongside top-notch Burgundy and Chablis.
Tony is guided by the philosophy that great wines are made in the vineyard. His passion for biodynamic viticulture has seen the Prancing Horse thumbprint now appear in two countries - France and Australia - across three regions; Chablis, Burgundy and the Mornington Peninsula. The local biodynamic vineyard performs exceptionally well, producing wines with abundant varietal expression. The Burgundy and Chablis are made under the Prancing Horse label and the fascinating comparison of the three wine regions lead to a greater understanding of terroir.
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