The Best Wineries In Geelong And The Bellarine Peninsula

Whether you’re a total novice looking for a fun day out on the road with friends, or a total oenophile plotting a serious, wine-focused itinerary, these five Geelong and Bellarine Peninsula wineries will stand you in good stead.

With its cool maritime climate, Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula are known to produce low yields of high-quality fruit that makes for some award-winning wines. The region is known for its pinot noir, chardonnay and shiraz varietals, as well as its abundance of boutique, family-run wineries and warm hospitality. Whether you’re after a show-stopping lunch venue, a quirky cellar door, or a tasting in quaint countryside surrounds, these five wineries deliver.

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Provenance Wines

Not only is Provenance rated a 5 Red Star Winery by the illustrious Halliday Wine Companion – a title that also awarded it Best Value Winery of the Year back in 2019 – but the winery’s setting in the old, heritage-listed Fyansford Paper Mill is wildly beautiful. Located on the banks of the Barwon River, the refurbished bluestone buildings date back to the 1870s, and now house galleries, studios and a cafe, as well as the Provenance winery, restaurant and cellar door.

Swing by for a Tasting Experience, and sample six or eight wines, either by themselves, or matched with bite-sized chef-prepared food pairings. Or make an evening (or afternoon) of it, with dinner or lunch at the winery restaurant, where there’s a strong focus on native ingredients and seasonal produce, with veggies sharing as much of the limelight as meat and fish.

The winery’s grapes are sourced from the Geelong, Ballarat, Macedon and Henty regions, to produce a range of pinot noir, chardonnay, shiraz and riesling that showcase crisp natural acidity.

Provenance winery Geelong — From vineyard to glass, Provenance preserves the identity of place.

Address: 100 Lower Paper Mills Rd, Fyansford, Vic, 3218

Phone number: +61 3 5222 3422

Website: provenancewines.com.au

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Nicol’s Paddock

A small, family-run winery and restaurant, situated just on the cusp of Geelong, Nicol’s is known for its warm hospitality, whether you’re here for a sit-down dinner of shared small plates, or simply popping by to enjoy a tasting in the boutique winery’s cellar door. Formerly known as Saint Regis, Nicol’s has been in the same family since the first plantings back in 1997. Original vigneron Peter Nicol is still tending to the winery’s chardonnay, pinot noir, and estate-grown shiraz grapes, grown in Waurn Ponds’ rich limestone soil, but now the second generation of the Nicol family has also jumped in to helm the Nicol’s Paddock Restaurant.

The winery itself is totally charming, its entrance framed by a vine-wrapped pergola blanketed with string lights and scattered with picnic tables, parasols and wine barrels repurposed as tables, that offer prime views of the estate’s shiraz vineyards. The rustic and cosy ambiance continues inside, with simple brick and timber interiors.

Nicol's Paddock — Join Nicol’s Paddock for a taste in their cellar door.

Address: 35 Waurn Ponds Dr, Waurn Ponds, Vic, 3216

Phone number: +61 432 085 404

Website: nicolspaddock.com.au

Scotchmans Hill

A stalwart of the Bellarine Peninsula’s wine scene, Scotchmans Hill has been pleasing punters with its cool maritime climate wines since its first vintage in 1990, and has consistently featured among the pages of the Halliday Wine Companion. Housed within the cosiest and smartly furnished environs of what feels like a country cottage, you can take a seated wine tasting from the comfort of one of the sofas, and feel as if you’ve popped round to a friend’s house for drinks (albeit one with impeccable taste). Try five of the winery’s current vintages for $10pp, or six wines from Scotchmans back vintage cellar reserve for $15pp (tasting fees waived with the purchase of takeaway wine). And if you’ve already reached peak wine indulgence then take the edge off with one of the winery’s platters, take-away picnic boxes, or a long lazy lunch at Scotchmans’ patio bistro.

Address: 190 Scotchmans Rd, Drysdale, Vic, 3222

Phone number: +61 3 5251 4431

Website: scotchmans.com.au

Scotchmans Hill has been producing premium cool maritime climate wines since 1982.

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Oakdene

If you like your wineries with plenty of character then schedule a visit to Oakdene. For starters, the cellar door at this Bellarine Peninsula winery is unconventional, constructed to resemble an upside down house. And Oakdene’s gardens and grounds are dotted with items that would otherwise have been destined for the bin (old bicycles, rusty farm equipment) and have instead been upcycled into sculptures and decorative features.

But don’t be deceived by this winery’s quirks – it takes the science and art of winemaking seriously: Oakdene has in fact been named an ‘outstanding’ winery by the James Halliday Wine Companion. And its small team of knowledgeable and friendly staff showcase Oakdene’s premium wines without pomp or pretence.

Oakdene Vineyards is the ideal romantic getaway.

Address: 255 Grubb Rd, Wallington, Vic, 3222

Phone number: +61 3 5255 1255

Website: oakdene.com.au

Jack Rabbit

For sweeping views over both Port Phillip Bay and a carpet of pinot noir and cabernet vines, it doesn’t get much better than Jack Rabbit. You can gorge on both by taking a seat on the modern winery’s restaurant deck, or peering out of the floor-to-ceiling windows inside. There’s an ambitious modern Australian menu, lined with dishes such as oxtail and local ricotta salata tortellini with parsnip cream, savoury oil and parsnip crisps, or Hiramasa kingfish crudo with Davidson plum, finger lime, coconut, verjuice and karkalla. The winery also houses a more casual all-day cafe, the House of Jack Rabbit, which is open for brunch and lunch and also boasts sweeping vistas over the blue of the bay and the green of the vines from its deck.

Address: 85 McAdams Ln, Bellarine, Vic, 3221

Phone number: +61 425 750 655

Website: jackrabbitvineyard.com.au

Located just an hour north-west of Melbourne, the largely undiscovered Macedon Ranges quietly pours some of Australia’s finest cool-climate wines and serves up some of Victoria’s best food.

Mention the Macedon Ranges and most people will think of day spas and mineral springs around Daylesford, cosy weekends away in the countryside or the famous Hanging Rock (of enigmatic picnic fame). Or they won’t have heard of the Macedon Ranges at all.

But this cool-climate destination has been inconspicuously building a profile as a high-quality food and wine region and is beginning to draw serious attention from oenophiles and epicureans alike.

The rise of Macedon Ranges wine

liquid gold barrels at Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery — Barrels of liquid gold at Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

With elevations ranging from 300 to 800 metres, Macedon Ranges vineyards are among the highest in the country. This altitude, combined with significant day/night temperature swings, makes for a slow ripening season, in turn nurturing wines that embody elegance and structure. Think crisp chardonnays, subtle yet complex pinot noirs and delicate sparkling wines, along with niche varietals, such as gamay and nebbiolo.

Despite the region’s natural advantages – which vary from estate to estate, as each site embodies unique terroir depending on its position in relation to the Great Dividing Range, soil make-up and altitude – the Macedon Ranges has remained something of an insider’s secret. Unlike Victoria’s Yarra Valley or Mornington Peninsula, you won’t find large tour buses here and there’s no mass marketing drawing crowds.

Many of the 40-odd wineries are family-run operations with modest yields, meaning the wineries maintain a personal touch (if you visit a cellar door, you’ll likely chat to the owner or winemaker themselves) and a tight sales circle that often doesn’t go far beyond said cellar door. And that’s part of the charm.

Though wines from the Macedon Ranges are just starting to gain more widespread recognition in Australia, the first vines were planted in the 1860s, with a handful of operators then setting up business in the 1970s and ’80s. The industry surged again in the 1990s and early 2000s with the entry of wineries, such as Mount Towrong, which has an Italian slant in both its wine and food offering, and Curly Flat, now one of the largest estates.

Meet the new generation of local winemakers

the Clydesdale barn at Paramoor. — The Clydesdale barn at Paramoor. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Then, within the last 15 years, a new crop of vignerons like Andrew Wood at Kyneton Ridge Estate, whose vineyard in 2024 was the first in the Macedon Ranges to be certified by Sustainable Winegrowing Australia; Geoff Plahn and Samantha Reid at Paramoor, who have an impressive cellar door with a roaring fire and studded leather couches in an old Clydesdale barn; and Ollie Rapson and Renata Morello at Lyons Will, who rapidly expanded a small vineyard to focus on top-shelf riesling, gamay, pinot noir and chardonnay, have taken ownership of local estates.

Going back to the early days, Llew Knight’s family was one of the pioneers of the 1970s, replacing sheep with vines at Granite Hills when the wool industry dwindled. Knight is proud of the fact that all their wines are made with grapes from their estate, including a light, peppery shiraz (some Macedon wineries purchase fruit from nearby warmer areas, such as Heathcote, particularly to make shiraz) and a European-style grüner veltliner. And, as many other wineries in the region do, he relies on natural acid for balance, rather than an additive, which is often required in warmer regions. “It’s all about understanding and respecting your climate to get the best out of your wines,” he says.

farm animals atKyneton Ridge Estate — Curious residents at Kyneton Ridge Estate. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Throughout the Macedon Ranges, there’s a growing focus on sustainability and natural and low-intervention wines, with producers, such as Brian Martin at Hunter Gatherer making waves in regenerative viticulture. Martin previously worked in senior roles at Australia’s largest sparkling winemaking facility, and now applies that expertise and his own nous to natural, hands‑off, wild-fermented wines, including pét‑nat, riesling and pinot noir. “Wild fermentation brings more complexity,” he says. “Instead of introducing one species of yeast, you can have thousands and they add different characteristics to the wine.”

the vineyard at Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery — The estate’s vineyard, where cool-climate grapes are grown. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Most producers also focus on nurturing their grapes in-field and prune and pick by hand, thus avoiding the introduction of impurities and the need to meddle too much in the winery. “The better the quality of the fruit, the less you have to interfere with the natural winemaking process,” says Wood.

Given the small yields, there’s also little room for error, meaning producers place immense focus on quality. “You’re never going to compete in the middle [in a small region] – you’ve got to aim for the top,” says Curly Flat owner Jeni Kolkka. “Big wineries try to do things as fast as possible, but we’re in no rush,” adds Troy Walsh, owner and winemaker at Attwoods. “We don’t use commercial yeasts; everything is hand-harvested and everything is bottled here, so we bottle only when we’re ready, not when a big truck arrives.” That’s why, when you do see a Macedon Ranges product on a restaurant wine list, it’s usually towards the pointy end.

Come for the wine, stay for the food

pouring sauce onto a dish at Lake HouseDaylesford — Dining at Lake House Daylesford is a treat. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

If wine is the quiet achiever of the Macedon Ranges, then food is its not-so-secret weapon. In fact, the area has more hatted restaurants than any other region in Victoria. A pioneer of the area’s gourmet food movement is region cheerleader Alla Wolf-Tasker, culinary icon and founder of Daylesford’s Lake House.

For more than three decades, Wolf-Tasker has championed local producers and helped define what regional fine dining can look like in Australia. Her influence is palpable, not just in the two-hatted Lake House kitchen, but in the broader ethos of the region’s dining scene, as a wave of high-quality restaurants have followed her lead to become true destination diners.

the Midnight Starling restaurant in Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery — The hatted Midnight Starling restaurant is located in Kyneton. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

It’s easy to eat well, whether at other hatted restaurants, such as Midnight Starling in the quaint town of Kyneton, or at the wineries themselves, like Le Bouchon at Attwoods, where Walsh is inspired by his time working in France in both his food offering and winemaking.

The beauty of dining and wine touring in the Macedon Ranges is that it feels intimate and unhurried. You’re likely to meet the winemaker, hear about the trials of the latest vintage firsthand, and taste wines that never make it to city shelves. And that’s worth getting out of the city for – even if it is just an hour down the road.

Delicate dishes on the menu at Midnight Starling. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

the accommodation at Cleveland Estate, Macedon Ranges — Stay at the Cleveland Estate. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Soak up vineyard views from Cleveland Estate near Lancefield, embrace retro charm at Kyneton Springs Motel or indulge in lakeside luxury at the Lake House.

Eating there

Enjoy a four-course menu at the one-hatted Surly Goat in Hepburn Springs, Japanese-inspired fare at Kuzu in Woodend or unpretentious fine dining at Mount Monument, which also has a sculpture park.

Drinking there

wine tasting at PassingClouds Winery, Macedon Ranges — A tasting at Passing Clouds Winery. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Settle in for a tasting at Boomtown in Castlemaine, sample local drops at the cosy Woodend Cellar & Bar or wine-hop around the many cellar doors, such as Passing Clouds.

the Boomtown Winery and Cellar Bar signage — Boomtown Winery and Cellar Bar. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Playing there

a scenic river in Castlemaine — Idyllic scenes at Castlemaine. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Wander through the seasonal splendour of Forest Glade Gardens, hike to the summit of Hanging Rock, or stroll around the tranquil Sanatorium Lake.

purple flowers hanging from a tree — Purple flowers hanging from a tree. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

The best wineries in Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula

Whether you’re a total novice looking for a fun day out on the road with friends, or a total oenophile plotting a serious, wine-focused itinerary, these five Geelong and Bellarine Peninsula wineries will stand you in good stead.

Provenance Wines

Nicol’s Paddock

Scotchmans Hill

Oakdene

Jack Rabbit

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The Macedon Ranges is Victoria’s best-kept food and wine secret

Located just an hour north-west of Melbourne, the largely undiscovered Macedon Ranges quietly pours some of Australia’s finest cool-climate wines and serves up some of Victoria’s best food.

The rise of Macedon Ranges wine

Meet the new generation of local winemakers

Come for the wine, stay for the food