Private Mornington Peninsula wine tours from Melbourne
Mornington Peninsula
Boutique cellar doors, long lunches and coastline, around an hour and a half from Melbourne. We build Mornington days privately, around your group rather than a set route, so the venues, the pace and the timing are all decided with you.
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Melbourne owned and operated since 2015No booking fees or card surchargesThe Mornington Peninsula at a glance
It is quieter and more scenic than the regions closer to town, and the producers are mostly small. That combination is what people come down for, and it is also what shapes how a day here is put together.
A genuine regional day trip rather than a run to the outer suburbs.
Known for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and for premium smaller estates.
Cellar doors, breweries, distilleries, hot springs, food and coastline.
Smaller groups reach the widest range of boutique venues.
Closer from the south-east
For guests coming from Melbourne’s south-east or the bayside suburbs, the Peninsula is noticeably quicker to reach than it is from the city. Times vary by suburb, so we confirm yours when we plan the day.
How would you like to do Mornington?
Our Peninsula days are private and built to order rather than sold as seats on a set route. Hand us the whole day, hand us the parts you care about, or keep the planning and let us drive.
Let us plan your day
Tell us who is coming and the kind of day you want. We will recommend a route, venues, lunch and timing that suit your group and your budget.
Best for anyone who would rather not research forty cellar doors
Build around your favourites
Already have one or two places in mind? Tell us the non-negotiables and we will build the rest of the day around them.
Best for a booked lunch, a favourite winery, or a hot springs session
Vehicle + driver
You book the wineries, lunch and experiences. We provide the vehicle and professional driver, stay with your group and follow your itinerary.
Best for groups who have already planned every stop
Getting there
How far is the Mornington Peninsula from Melbourne?
Mornington rewards an earlier start. Allow around an hour and a half from central Melbourne, then settle into the region rather than trying to race between venues.
The drive down is part of the day here. Freeway to begin with, then forest, hills and coast road once you are on the Peninsula.
Distances and travel times are approximate and move with your pickup location, traffic and the venues in your day. We confirm your pickup time when the itinerary is set.
Once you leave the freeway, the roads wind up through Red Hill and Main Ridge, so the scenery changes well before the first tasting.
Why choose the Mornington Peninsula?
A lot of Peninsula wine is made in small volumes by people who are still on site. Tasting rooms are modest, the person pouring often made the wine, and the whole thing runs at conversation pace rather than counter pace.
Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are what the region is known for, helped by cool nights and sea air from both sides of the Peninsula. Neighbouring vineyards can taste genuinely different.
It also means room matters. Smaller groups reach the widest range of these venues, and that is worth knowing before you plan a day.
Coastal stops
Bay beaches and bathing boxes on one side, surf and cliff walks on the other.
Cider houses
A relaxed, less formal stop that tends to suit groups who are not all wine drinkers.
Scenic drives
The roads through Red Hill, Main Ridge and Arthurs Seat are worth the detour on their own.
Boutique wine with the coast never far away
Three things that shape a day down here, beyond what is in the glass.
Forest, hills and coast between the stops
Getting between Peninsula venues means winding regional roads, tree cover and the occasional view of the water. Nobody arrives at the second stop wishing the drive had been shorter, which is why we plan fewer, longer stops here.
Long lunches, estate kitchens and local produce
Several Peninsula restaurants are the reason people drive down in the first place. Lunch here is usually the anchor of the day rather than a break in it, and it is worth booking around.
Gin, beer, cider, springs and a mountain lookout
Breweries, distilleries, cider houses, thermal springs and Arthurs Seat all sit within the same touring radius, so a day can evolve well past cellar doors without any extra driving.
What kind of Mornington day sounds like you?
Four directions a Peninsula day tends to take. None of them is a fixed product with a set list of inclusions. Pick the one that sounds closest and we will build the real version around your group, your date and what is open.
Wine & long lunch
Two or three boutique tastings in the morning, then a proper sit-down lunch at an estate or a regional restaurant. Unhurried, and the day most people picture when they think of the Peninsula.
Best for Couples, friends, birthdays, smaller groups
Wine + gin + beer
A winery or two for the people who came for wine, then something more casual at a distillery, brewery or cider house for everyone else. The mix keeps a mixed group happy.
Best for Mixed drink preferences, social groups, celebrations
Food, produce & scenery
Built around what the Peninsula grows and makes. Olive groves, farm produce, cheese, a scenic stop or two, and tastings arranged around the table booking rather than the other way round.
Best for Food-focused groups, mixed drinking and non-drinking
Wine + wellness or coast
A cellar door in the morning and an afternoon at the hot springs, on Arthurs Seat, or somewhere on the coast. The gentlest version of a Peninsula day, and often the most memorable.
Best for Couples, wellness groups, relaxed celebrations
Mornington works differently for every group
Group size shapes a Peninsula day more than it does anywhere else we tour, because so many of the good cellar doors are small. Neither shape of day is better. They are just built from different venues, and knowing that in advance is what keeps the day relaxed.
11 guests or fewer
Smaller groups have access to the widest range of Mornington venues, which means the itinerary can be shaped more around the experience than around venue capacity.
- The widest choice of venues, including premium boutique estates
- Quieter tasting rooms, often with the winemaker pouring
- Up to 4 stops, depending on timing and how far apart they sit
- The easiest kind of day to personalise around a birthday or an anniversary
Typical day · Up to 4 stops
12 guests or more
Larger groups are genuinely welcome. We simply choose venues that are set up to host a group properly, so nobody spends the day waiting at a crowded bar.
- Venues chosen because they genuinely welcome and can seat a group
- Usually two wineries, so nobody is rushed between tastings
- A brewery, distillery or cider house to finish, which suits a social group
- Relationships with venues that know how to host our larger groups well
Typical day · 2 wineries + 1 brewery or distillery
We match the venues to your group rather than trying to squeeze every group into the same itinerary.
Places we love building Mornington days around
Venues change with availability, group size and the kind of day you want, but these are some of the places we regularly consider when shaping a Peninsula itinerary.
Wineries and estates
From well-known estates with restaurants to single-vineyard tasting rooms with room for a handful of guests.
TallaridaT’GallantQuealyRed Hill EstateGreen OlivePier 10Trofeo EstateThe CupsRahona ValleyJackalope
Breweries, cider and distilleries
Where a day gets more social. Useful for mixed drink preferences and for groups too large for the smallest cellar doors.
Jetty Road BrewerySt Andrews Beach BreweryRed Hill BreweryBass & Flinders DistilleryJimmyRumMr Little CiderTar Barrel
Experiences & scenic stops
The stops that slow the day down and let the Peninsula do the talking, and the ones that give guests who are not drinking something to remember too.
Peninsula Hot SpringsAlba Thermal SpringsArthurs Seat
Venue availability and group policies vary, and these are examples rather than a fixed list or a set of partnerships. We confirm the right mix once we know your group, your date and what you would like from the day.
Good wine deserves a long Peninsula lunch
Food is a big part of why people come down here. Estate restaurants, winery kitchens and local produce sit right alongside the cellar doors, so a Peninsula day is usually built around the table rather than squeezed in between tastings.
Depending on the group we might suggest an estate restaurant, a relaxed winery lunch, shared plates or a longer premium sit-down. We will put a recommendation in front of you and adjust from there.
Estate restaurantsWinery lunch with viewsShared platesLonger premium sit-downLocal produce
What might a full Mornington day look like?
This is the rhythm most of our Peninsula days follow. Times are deliberately loose, because pickup location, venue bookings and the mood of the group all move them.
This is the shape of a day, not a fixed itinerary. Venues, order and timing are all decided with you.
Planning your day? Read my guide: How to plan the best Mornington Peninsula wine tour
Pickup in Melbourne
We collect your group from a CBD or metro Melbourne address. Earlier or later if the day calls for it, and confirmed with your final itinerary.
Drive down to the Peninsula
Freeway to begin with, then hills, forest and farmland. Travel time moves with your pickup point and the traffic, so we build in room rather than promising a minute.
First cellar door
A tasting at a venue chosen for the size and the style of your group, with time to talk to whoever is pouring rather than being moved along.
Second winery, and lunch
Either lunch at the estate you are tasting at, or a separate restaurant booking nearby. This is usually the longest part of the day, and deliberately so.
Final experience
For groups of 12 or more this is often a brewery, distillery or cider house. For 11 or fewer, a fourth cellar door or a coastal stop is frequently possible.
Drive back to Melbourne
Home at a comfortable hour, with the return drive allowed for properly instead of squeezed in after one stop too many.
Take the slower road
Between the vineyards the roads run through forest and over hills, and most guests tell us the driving was one of the better parts of the day. It is also why we suggest fewer stops here than in regions closer to town.
Mornington is much more than cellar doors
Plenty of our Peninsula days include only one or two tastings. The rest is springs, food, coastline and whatever else the group is actually interested in.
Hot springs
Peninsula Hot Springs and Alba Thermal Springs both work well as a long afternoon stop, and both change the pace of a wine day completely.
Bathing sessions are timed and booked ahead, so we build the rest of the day around the slot.
Arthurs Seat and the coast
The high point of the Peninsula, with the bay laid out below. Easy to pair with a coastal stop on the way home.
Beer, gin, rum and cider
The Peninsula has breweries, distilleries and cider houses scattered between the vineyards, and they suit a livelier group.
Regional food & produce
Olive groves, berry farms, cheese and providores, most of them happy to host a group briefly.
When is the best time to visit Mornington?
There is no bad season down here. There are only different days.
Autumn
Vintage, still weather and the best month for food and wine down here. The local favourite, and quieter than summer.
Winter
Fireplaces, cosy tasting rooms, premium lunches with a table to yourselves, and the hot springs at their most appealing.
Spring
Green hills, cool-climate vines waking up and the first of the season’s produce. Coastal weather changes fast, so bring a layer.
Summer
Long days, outdoor venues and the coast at its best. Peninsula weekends get busy, so we book early and start early.
Planning a Mornington day
The questions we are asked most often about the Peninsula.
How far is the Mornington Peninsula from Melbourne?
Around 80 km to the Red Hill and Main Ridge area, which is roughly an hour and a half from the CBD depending on your pickup point and the traffic. It is a genuine regional drive rather than a run to the outer suburbs, and that is part of why the Peninsula feels the way it does.
How many venues can we visit in a day?
For groups of 11 or fewer, up to 4 stops is usually possible if the venues are reasonably close together and lunch is not too long. For 12 or more, three stops is the comfortable number. Fewer, longer stops nearly always makes for a better day here than a rushed list.
Is Mornington better for smaller groups?
It gives smaller groups more choice, yes. Many of the best cellar doors are small rooms run by the family who make the wine, and they simply have limited space. That does not make the Peninsula a poor choice for a larger group, it just changes which venues we build the day around.
Can you take a group of 20 or more?
Yes. We do it regularly, using venues that are set up to host groups, and usually with a brewery, distillery or cider house in the mix. Tell us the number early, because it decides the vehicle and the venue shortlist together.
Do we choose the venues or do you?
Either. Some guests send us a list, some tell us the occasion and leave it with us, and most land somewhere in between with one or two must-visits and the rest up to us. We always confirm the itinerary with you before the day.
Can we include Peninsula Hot Springs or Alba?
Yes, and it is a popular way to shape a Peninsula day. Bathing sessions are timed and need to be booked ahead, so we usually fix that slot first and arrange the wine around it.
Can we do breweries and distilleries instead of wineries?
Of course. The Peninsula has good breweries, gin and rum distilleries and cider houses, and a day built entirely around them works well for groups where wine is not the main interest.
Can you provide transport only?
Yes. If you have already booked your venues and lunch, we supply the vehicle and a professional driver and follow your itinerary for the day. That is our charter and driver hire service, priced on the shape of the day rather than per person.
What time do Mornington days normally start?
Most full days start with a Melbourne CBD or metro pickup around 9:00am. The Peninsula rewards an earlier start, since the drive is longer than our closer regions. We confirm your exact pickup time with the final itinerary, because it moves with your address.
Can non-drinkers enjoy the day?
Easily. Between the food, the produce stops, the hot springs, Arthurs Seat and the coastline there is a full day here without a single tasting, and cellar doors are used to guests who are not drinking. If some people in your group aren’t drinking, let us know when you enquire and we’ll help shape the day so they still get plenty out of the experience.
Explore Victoria's other wine regions
Each region gives you a different day. If you are still deciding, tell us who is coming and we will say which one we would send you to.
Mornington Peninsula
Boutique cellar doors, Pinot Noir, long lunches, hot springs and coastline.
≈ 1½ hrs from Melbourne · 80 km
You are reading this one
Yarra Valley
Daily and private tours, chocolate, wineries and gin. The closest classic wine-tour day.
≈ 1 hr from Melbourne · 55 km
Bellarine Peninsula
Bay views, seafood, local produce and relaxed, uncrowded cellar doors.
≈ 1 hr 20 from Melbourne · 95 km
Macedon Ranges
Boutique wineries, mountain air and an intimate country feel, an hour from town.
≈ 1 hr from Melbourne · 70 km
Your own day on the Peninsula
Boutique cellar doors, a long lunch and the coast never far away, planned around your group.
Door to door pickup
Plan your Mornington day
Tell us who is coming, roughly when, and what you would like the day to include. Selina or Kim will come back to you with a suggested shape for the day and a quote for your group, most often the same day.
or WhatsApp +61 452 560 488
Ready to plan a Mornington day?
Tell us who is coming, the kind of experience you want and anything already on your wish list. We will help shape the venues, the timing and the transport around your group.
Let DKT plan it
Tell us the group and the occasion. We will come back with a shape for the day.
Build around my ideas
You have a venue, a lunch or a springs session locked in. We will build around it.
I already have an itinerary
Everything is booked and you need the vehicle and the driver.
Prefer to talk it through? Call us or send the enquiry and we will come back with a suggested shape for the day.
Quoted for your group