Explore the Pyrenees
Eat & Drink
21 Mar 2023
The iconic wine region right on Ballarat’s doorstep
If you love eating and drinking, then we’ve got the perfect road trip for your next weekend.
Just 30 minutes from Ballarat, the Pyrenees is the sort of place you need to visit to truly appreciate.
The region takes in the idyllic towns of Avoca and Moonambel and is home to some of the country’s most talented wine producers, many offering exceptional cellar door experiences, picnics, barrel tastings and award-winning winery restaurants.
Full blooded and richly textured
Leading Australian wine writer James Halliday describing his favourite Pyrenees wines
Whether you’re after a tasty adventure for yourself or looking to show off when your favourite people come to town, a visit to the Pyrenees is always a good idea.
Here’s 11 reasons why it’s the go-to wine region for Ballaratians. So, what are you waiting for? Make your shortlist and start checking them off.
Bigibila Wines showcase their outstanding selection of wine and olive oil in their cellar door, which offers amazing views of the vineyard and the picturesque Pyrenees mountains. Indulge in the Bigibila grazing platters while you sip a glorious Bigibila Shiraz and bask in the serenity of the Pyrenees.
Blue Pyrenees Estate has the perfect picnic experience combining fine food, beautiful landscape and a bottle of its flagship sparkling wine, Midnight Cuvee.
Order a platter, which consist of local and house-made goods including tapas, smallgoods, charcuterie and cheese, and lay out the picnic rug (which is provided with the platter) in your chosen spot in the shaded gardens.
A short stroll up the hill from the winery is the cellar door. Here you learn about the wine-making process and can taste substantial range of the wines on offer.
Dalwhinnie Wines is a family-owned vineyard established in 1976. Premium producers of chardonnay, shiraz and cabernet sauvignon, their cellar door is open daily for tastings and offers cheese and antipasto plates every day.
You can expect great naturally tasting wines from this off-grid winery and cellar door, so you can sip away guilt free knowing winemakers Allen and Andrea are all about using as little intervention as possible. Most of their wines are vegan friendly too.
With over 50 years of innovation and tradition, Mount Avoca is one of Australia’s most highly awarded organic wineries.
Visit the light-filled cellar door, which also features a barbecue, secure playground, picnic areas, and a toasty log fire in winter. Stay a little longer and relax in one of three luxurious eco-lodges set among the olive grove overlooking the organic vineyard and ranges.
Peerick Vineyard and Winery
The philosophy at Peerick Vineyard and Winery is to let the grapes do the talking, with owners Michael and Felicity O’Hara working hard to minimise mechanical interference and the use of chemicals wherever possible.
The team aims to preserve the inherent quality and character of the fruit at every turn, and to reflect the peculiarities of seasons.
Sally’s Paddock at Redbank Winery
Neill and Sally Robb’s Redbank Winery is a Victorian institution, thanks in part to the vision and hard work of its creators, and the unique personality of its principal wine, Sally’s Paddock – A character-filled, single vineyard blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Shiraz, Merlot and Malbec. This wonderfully rustic cellar door also does a good coffee, cake and a fantastic ploughman’s lunch at the Flying Pig Deli.
Summerfield Winery is owned by the Summerfield family, who have been growing grapes, attending personally to their vineyard and transforming the fruit into deep, hearty, bold reds for over 40 years.
The wines are handmade in small batches to ensure consistency and quality in every bottle. Such meticulous techniques have earned Summerfield widespread acclaim for producing consistent, quality wines.
Stay for a delicious woodfire pizza – a perfect accompaniment to theses bold award-winning red wines. If pizza isn’t your thing, they have a deli stocking local produce such as smoked meats, cheeses, jams, chutney, relish, olives, olive oil and nuts.
Their passion for food has evolved into growing their own pork and lamb which is sold through the winery’s restaurant and deli.
Owner John Goelet, a direct descendant of the Guestier wine merchant family of Bordeaux, discovered and purchased Taltarni Vineyard in 1972 after conducting a worldwide search for a site comparable to the great vineyards of Bordeaux – making it one of the oldest wineries in the region.
Today, Taltarni produces a range of high calibre wines that sees them win award after award.
With sweeping views of the Pyrenees Ranges, Wayward features a newly renovated cellar door and restaurant with a focus on local produce and an emphasis on cooking with fire. Led by the team behind Renard, Moon and Mountain and Ragazzone, Wayward is a must-visit destination for long lunches or a weekend away.
While away the afternoon with a wood fired pizza on the deck, with breathtaking views of the vines and surrounding ranges.
I know we promised wine, but what if we told you we know of a cellar door for wine and gin. Yes, we thought that might get your attention. Well, let us introduce you to Wimmera Hills Winery, also the home to Mrs Baker's Still House. This family-owned winery distils its gin and liqueurs using locally harvested and indigenous spices.
The vineyard is high in the upper reaches of the Wimmera basin where grazing country meets rugged forest. Sparse soil over shattered sandstone, this is the Pyrenees Ranges where great Shiraz is born.
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