During Great Ocean Road tours, visitors can explore the area’s breweries, distilleries, and wineries. Local artisan makers use high-quality ingredients and pure water from the Otway rainforests in their craft. It’s an excellent opportunity to sample their products while enjoying the fresh ocean air.
Through the vines
The wineries along the Great Ocean Road offer a variety of vintage and non-vintage wines, including European-style Riesling, elegant Pinot Noir, and typical Australian sparkling Shiraz or Chardonnay, catering to different preferences.
Wineries on the Great Ocean Road
There are some tremendous excellent climate wineries in this region. You can create your wine tour, visit cellar doors for tastings, and sample local produce. You can also enjoy a long lunch among the vines. Whether you’re looking for a place with live music, a family-friendly venue, or a romantic getaway, here’s a list of vineyards to explore.
Bellbrae Estate
Bellbrae Estate Winery is located on the Great Ocean Road amidst the rolling hills of the Surf Coast. It is just five minutes away from Bells Beach. The nearby sea and surf influence the winery, with local surf break names on the labels. You can visit the cellar door for wine tastings or enjoy wood-fired pizzas and live music on Sundays. Relax on the lawn with a glass of Winkipop sparkling Shiraz or Bells Syrah.
Heroes Vineyard
The Heroes Vineyard is a featured destination on the Otway Harvest Trail, focusing on organic wines and sustainability. And yes, the name is a nod to David Bowie! The vineyards are not irrigated and are grown organically, without synthetic pesticides. The wines are produced with minimal intervention, which allows for high-quality wines for cool climates. The winery is child- and dog-friendly on weekends from December to Easter. Please pick up a bottle of their sparkling rosé, Deeds Not Words; we think Bowie would approve.
Basalt Vineyard
A boutique vineyard can be found along the Great Ocean Road between Warrnambool and Port Fairy for visitors to discover. Basalt offers organic and biodynamic wines that benefit from the fertile volcanic soils of the region. At the cellar door, you can sample wines and enjoy tapas. Stay for a long lunch featuring seafood and award-winning riesling. While you relax with wine and conversation, kids can play and explore farm life, meeting babydoll sheep, ducks, and chickens.
Keayang Maar Vineyard
Keayang Maar is a family-run vineyard in a dairy-farming country with views of a dormant volcanic crater. Visitors can enjoy beautiful wines with excellent climate and stunning views. The cellar door is open for wine tastings and pizzas from Wednesday to Sunday. Occasionally, there are live music performances. Keayang Maar is part of the 12 Apostles Food Artisans trail, which includes other foodie hotspots worth exploring.
Suffoir Winery, Brewery, and Distillery
This micro-winery, Suffoir, is a family-owned and run establishment near Budj Bim National Park. They produce small quantities of wine, beer, cider, and spirits on-site. Visitors can enjoy a tasting and cheese board at the cellar door. Guests can choose between wine, craft beer, or gin tastings.
Otway Estate Vineyard
The Otway climate is ideal for grape growing and offers stunning views. Otway Estate features a winery, brewery, cidery, and distillery on site. The cellar door is open for tastings on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Visitors can tour the vineyard and sample handcrafted wines. For beer enthusiasts, Prickly Moses Brewery is also located at Otway Estate.
Yeowarra Hill
Yeowarra Hill, located on the Otway Harvest Trail, offers tours of its romantic gardens with stunning views of the surrounding landscape. Visitors can enjoy a tasting of their small-batch wines by appointment only.
Blakes Estate Winery
Located in the foothills of the Otways, this Deans Marsh winery specializes in crafting exceptional pinot noir. The cellar door is open on weekends from November to June for tastings. Grapes are carefully hand-pruned and picked, and wines are produced with minimal intervention. Along with the pinot, visitors can enjoy a sparkling wine made in a “Champagne style” from the pinot grapes and a refreshing rose.
Experience of the region at Apollo Bay
If you want to sample the best wines from the region, you can visit Tastes of the Region in Apollo Bay. They offer tastings of local wines and also sell jams, chutneys, and honey. You can purchase some bottles to take home with you as well.