Located less than an hour away from bustling Melbourne, the Yarra Valley is a must-visit if you’re a wine aficionado!
However, this region has more than just world-class wine to offer – it’s also known for its breathtaking natural landscape, charming towns, and great weather! If you’re in Melbourne and want a day to escape the city life and enjoy the scenery, I highly recommend doing a tour.
I’ve carefully curated a guide to the 5 top Yarra Valley winery tours from Melbourne that are well worth the time and money! Let’s get started!
Best Yarra Valley Wine Tours
| Yarra Valley Gourmet Small-Group Ecotour from Melbourne | Yarra Valley Full Day Private Wine Tour | Yarra Valley Wine and Winery Tour from Melbourne | |
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| Location: | Hotel pickup and drop-off included | Hotel pickup and drop-off included | Hotel pickup and drop-off included |
| Start: | 8:00 AM | 10:30 AM | 9:15 AM |
| Duration: | 8 hours | 7 to 8 hours | 8 hours |
| Includes: | All tastings, Lunch, Friendly & Informative Tour Guide, WiFi on board, Air-conditioned vehicle | Lunch, Private transportation, Alcoholic Beverages, GST (Goods and Services Tax) | Wine tastings at four Yarra Valley wineries, Lunch at Balgownie Estate or equivalent, Glass of wine and tea or coffee with lunch |
Quick Answer: The 5 Best Rated Yarra Valley Wine Tours from Melbourne For 2024
- Yarra Valley Gourmet Small-Group Ecotour from Melbourne
- Yarra Valley Full Day Private Wine Tour
- Yarra Valley Wine and Winery Tour from Melbourne
- Melbourne: Yarra Valley Wine, Gin and Chocolate Tour
- Yarra Valley Grazing Tour with Champagne Brunch at Chandon
Yarra Valley Wine Tours from Melbourne Reviews
1. Yarra Valley Gourmet Small-Group Ecotour from Melbourne
- Duration: 8 hours
- Departure: Hotel pickup and drop-off included
- Departure Time: 8:00 AM
- Includes: All tastings, Lunch, Friendly & Informative Tour Guide, WiFi on board, Air-conditioned vehicle
While Melbourne is certainly a city you need to visit, I understand that sometimes it’s nice to escape the hustle and bustle and into the fresh air of nature.
With the Yarra Valley Gourmet Small-Group Ecotour from Melbourne, you’ll not only have time to free your mind but to learn about some of the best wines the country has to offer.
With fun and experienced guides alongside experts right from the vineyards themselves, you’re going to be the new wine expert in your friend group!
Our tour started off with a convenient hotel pickup around 8:00 am, which made things much smoother for our day without having to worry about taxis and extra costs. With our small group size, we didn’t feel like we were just part of a crowd – it felt more like we were all friends going on an adventure together.
The air-conditioned coach we cruised along in was perfect for the number of people we had, complete with wi-fi on board to stay connected throughout the tour!
The road trip itself was very pleasant, with beautiful natural scenery to enjoy as our guide offered an educational, entertaining commentary along the way!
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Our first stop was at the renowned Balgownie Estate Yarra Valley, set in beautiful rolling wills, as well as chardonnay and pinot noir (hot tip: come back for a romantic evening in their hotel and try their 1309 restaurant!
We then visited the Coldstream Dairy to try a wide selection of cheeses before learning all about how to make (and sample) gin at Four Pillars Gin Distillery!
After all that work, we took a well-deserved break at the Rochford Wines Yarra Valley to try some wine, as well as enjoy a delicious 4-course lunch with plenty of tea and coffee!
Last but not least was admittedly one of my favorite stops: the Yarra Valley Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery, where we tried 8 different chocolate varieties. Overall, it was the perfect way to gain insight into the amazing food and drink offered in this beautiful Australian region!
More Information & Tour Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
2. Yarra Valley Full Day Private Wine Tour
- Duration: 7 to 8 hours
- Departure: Hotel pickup and drop-off included
- Departure Time: 10:30 AM
- Includes: Lunch, Private transportation, Alcoholic Beverages, GST (Goods and Services Tax)
What I love about this tour, is that it takes you to some of the best places in this Australian wine country, while still offering an exclusive, flexible way to experience it. There’s no cookie-cutter, boring tour that seems to be as if it was copied and pasted right from something from a generic Google search.
The Yarra Valley Full Day Private Wine Tour is an excursion that will take you and your party out to some of the best wineries in the world, with a guide there to lead the way.
This tour starts out a bit later, which was nice as we’d stayed out pretty late the night before and appreciated the chance to get to sleep in!
As our guide came right to our hotel to pick us and the rest of our private party up, we just had to head down to the lobby to meet them. I found this tour to be one of the most well-organized, seamless experiences I’ve ever been on, making it that much more enjoyable!
Our transportation for the day was a bus that fit all of us nicely, with plenty of legroom, big windows for viewing the rolling hills and pretty townships, as well as comfy seats.
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As we rolled along, our guide told us all about the history of the region, with more specific info about the area’s wine. As this is a customized tour, I can’t say that you’re going to make the exact same stops as we did, but I’m sure it’ll be just as amazing for you.
All of the wine tastings and food are included, and we went to wineries based on our specific interests and the recommendations of our expert guide!
I loved the fact that we got to choose how long we spent at each stop, so there was never any boredom or feeling like we were missing out. This is a wonderful tour that I’d recommend to anyone!
More Information & Tour Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
3. Yarra Valley Wine and Winery Tour from Melbourne
- Duration: 8 hours
- Departure: Hotel pickup and drop-off included
- Departure Time: 9:15 AM
- Includes: Pickup and drop-off from designated meeting points, Transport by air-conditioned minibus, Wine tastings at four Yarra Valley wineries, Lunch at Balgownie Estate or equivalent, Glass of wine and tea or coffee with lunch
This next tour does a fantastic job of encapsulating the spirit of this beautiful, renowned region filled with lush vineyards, top-notch wines, and gourmet delights.
The Yarra Valley Wine and Winery Tour from Melbourne is perfect if you’re new to wine or want to learn about the different types and how to properly taste the tasty drinks. Even if you’re well-versed in the world of wine, I guarantee you’ll learn some valuable tips and tricks here, like I did!
Just like most others in this guide, this excursion also includes a convenient hotel pickup and drop-off service so you don’t have to deal with figuring it out yourself.
Our guide/bus driver for the day was simply amazing, with a deep knowledge of wine and great driving skills. The minibus was also very comfortable and well-maintained, with air-conditioning that is absolutely essential during the hotter months!
Now, this isn’t a private tour, but the groups on this one are very small, so it’s a great way to meet other travelers from around the world while still feeling the exclusivity you’d get from a private one.
Even before arriving at our first stop (Greenstone Vineyards), our guide had already taught us all about the different varietals produced in the Yarra Valley.
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At the vineyard, we did a delicious tasting while overlooking the breathtaking estate before heading to Balgownie Estate.
At Balgownie, we did another great tasting table, sampling shiraz and cabernet sauvignon before enjoying a savory lunch at their winery restaurant paired with a glass of wine.
We couldn’t forget Yering Farm, where we did a cellar door tasting while seeing the copper winemaking tools that were used over a whopping hundred years ago before making our way to the lovely Soumah Wines!
There’s a ton to see and learn on this excursion, and the 8 or so hours just flew by!
More Information & Tour Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
4. Melbourne: Yarra Valley Wine, Gin and Chocolate Tour
- Duration: 8.25 hours
- Departure: St Paul’s Cathedral, Melbourne, Flinders St, Melbourne VIC 3000
- Departure Time: 9:00 AM
- Includes: Air-conditioned vehicle, bottled water, alcoholic beverages, driver, wine and gin tastings
Are you looking for one of the best Yarra Valley winery tour but want to stick to something more budget-friendly?
If so, there’s no better option than the Melbourne: Yarra Valley Wine, Gin and Chocolate Tour! It’s a great opportunity to meet some other travelers from around the world, while still enjoying a relatively small group and plenty of attention from a professional guide.
The thing that really sets this tour apart from the rest, is that it’s not just about wine – it’s a deep dive into local culinary culture! This is the only tour that does not include a hotel pickup, which wasn’t really a big deal for us.
After all, the meetup point was St. Paul’s Cathedral in central Melbourne, which was really close to our hotel, anyway.
After we arrived, we immediately boarded our Mercedes-Benz coach, which was super new and comfortable, with big windows and climate control (keep in mind if your party is 20+ people, you’ll be in a larger bus).
After taking off, we made a little break for coffee and kept our eyes peeled for kangaroos before arriving to our first winery (depends a bit on the weather and other factors), then on to the gorgeous Soumah.
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Soumah is one of my favorite stops, offering 5 different wine tastings as you overlook gorgeous rolling hills. Four Pillars distillery is up next, where we enjoyed a delicious gin flight where we compared each, with tasty mixers to clear our palates.
Alternatively, you can go to Payten & Jones to taste some wine, vermouth, and/or plenty of their international beer selection. We had a break for lunch at the legendary Hubert Estate, which was quintessentially Australian with some European flavor.
After a couple more visits to renowned wineries, we stopped for a cider tasting beside a lambing nursery, a dairy for the best cheese I’ve ever had in my life, and the Yarra Valley Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery to wrap things up with a delicious dessert.
More Information & Tour Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
5. Yarra Valley Grazing Tour with Champagne Brunch at Chandon
- Duration: 7 hours
- Departure: Hotel pickup and drop-off included
- Departure Time: 10:30 AM
- Includes: Snacks, Brunch, Lunch, Alcoholic Beverages
I don’t trust anybody who doesn’t love a good brunch – especially when champagne is involved! The Yarra Valley Grazing Tour with Champagne Brunch at Chandon offers a little bit of everything, providing insight into just how well Australia does food and drink.
If you’re looking for the perfect outing with friends, family, or your significant other, this is the perfect way to escape the city and head out for some fresh air and food!
The tour starts a bit later than most – at 10:30 – when your guide will arrive at your hotel to pick you and your party up and head out to the legendary Yarra Valley!
Our transportation was simple yet comfortable – offering great views while we relaxed and listened to our guide talking about the history, geology, and wine culture surrounding the area.
We made our first stop at the Yarra Valley Dairy to try some incredible cheeses all made on-site, while washing it down with either wine or coffee.
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After that, we made our way to the historic Yering Station Winery, which is not only one of the most beautiful I’ve visited – it also offers a wide array of top-notch wines and is known as the state’s first vineyard.
Next up is the world-famous Domaine Chandon, which has actually been one of my favorites for years, so it was pretty cool to get an exclusive look behind-the-scenes here. At Chandon, we enjoyed a tasting of 3 different sparkling wines along with some shared charcuterie boards and other snacks.
After that, we visited the charming Yering Farm where we learned how to make small-batch wines right from the winemakers, enjoying a few glasses and a cider next to their orchard. I am absolutely not a gin fan, but Four Pillars Distillery changed my opinion of it with a couple of theirs, and then visited a local burger joint!
More Information & Tour Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
Wines Tasted
Tour Guides
Value
The Yarra Valley Gourmet Small-Group Ecotour from Melbourne is our Editors Choice for the Best Yarra Valley Wine Tour
