Best Dog Friendly Wineries Yarra Valley – Now that Melburnians can once again explore regional Victoria, we thought what better weekend activity than planning a winery tour! Of course, we haven’t forgotten our best four-legged friends, all of these wineries are dog-friendly!
Tux is a beautiful winery located in the mountains in the heart of the Mornington Peninsula wine region. Located next door to sister property Montalorto, Tux offers a relaxing environment for wine lovers and dog lovers alike. Tux offers a wide range of food and wine, with dog-friendly seating on the terrace or expansive lawn. If you’re wearing a tuxedo with your dog, don’t forget to tag your photos with #pupsattucks
Best Dog Friendly Wineries Yarra Valley
Another winery! Located in the heart of the Mornington Peninsula, Green Olive is a family business made up of two Calpies (Rasa and Indi) and two Maremmas (Pisa and Bassi). Green Olive offers the whole farm experience for kids and dogs. On their 27-acre farm, they grow their own olives, grapes, herbs and vegetables. So take your dog for a walk in the vineyard and sample fresh produce, local tapas and a selection of wine!
Wiggley Bottom Farm
Located in the Yarra Valley, one of De Bortoli’s famous vineyards, your pooch is welcome to join you, they have areas where you can sip wine with your furry companion. De Bortoli is one of Australia’s most innovative wineries and was named Innovator of the Year at the International Wine and Spirits Competition in London for fully integrated wine innovation. They were also recognized in the top 10 of the Australian Financial Review’s BOSS Most Innovative Companies list – the only winery to be named in the competition! So why not take a trip to this award winning vineyard and show your dog what all the excitement is about!
Established in 1838, Yering is known as Victoria’s first commercial plantation. Located in the Yarra Valley – considered Australia’s premier cool climate region – Yering is considered one of the region’s premier wineries. Yering offers many dining and entertainment options, from a wine cellar and restaurant to an open-air bar and art gallery. The restaurant at Yering offers sweeping views over the Yarra Valley and the art gallery hosts a number of exhibitions throughout the year, including the Yarra Valley Arts Sculpture Exhibition and Awards – there’s something for everyone, including the pups. At Yering, dogs are welcome in the outdoor areas (on a lead – no rogue pups exploring on their own!).
Pinot Grigio pioneers! Need we say more?! T’Gallant is “inspired by Italy but firmly rooted in the Mornington Peninsula”. T’Gallant is located in a former apple orchard among the hills of the main ridge. Although they are famous for their wine, they are almost as famous for their pizzerias, which serve excellent wood-fired pizzas all year round. Oh, and T’Gallant loves his furry friends – in fact, they think they’re ‘five-somethings’! So, next time you’re heading to the Mornington Peninsula, pop into T’Gallant where you and your dog can relax in their outdoor plaza with a glass of prosecco in one hand and a slice of Primo pizza in the other!
If you visit any (or all!) of these wineries, please share your experience with us! We recommend that you call ahead to make sure that the venue can accommodate you and your dog on the day of your choice. If you are also planning a trip to the vineyards with your dog, be sure to check out our tips for safe travel with your dog! Read more here. Our Pooches and Pinot Tasting Experience in the Yarra Valley to visit some of the dog friendly wineries.
Discover The Best Dog-friendly Campgrounds In Yarra Valley
The Yarra Valley is a beautiful wine region in Victoria, just an hour from Melbourne. It is a popular spot for locals and tourists alike. As fellow Melbourne residents, we have visited the Yarra Valley several times with our two small dogs. We have always found it challenging to navigate our journey with dogs. But then we were contacted by Helen from Pooches and Pinot Wine Tours after reading our blog post about South Australia’s dog-friendly wine regions to do a wine tour of the Yarra Valley. Their friendliness and attention to detail in customizing our experience convinced us to try one of their wine tours. Through the Pooches Wine Tour and Pinot Tasting we realized how dog friendly the Yarra Valley is and fell in love all over again with this beautiful wine region.
Pooches and Pinots is a small wine tour company founded by Jeff and Helen, the two wonderful people behind the operation. They do it all, including creating a customized itinerary, picking up guests and taking guests and their children to dog-friendly Yarra Valley wineries. They offer personalized half-day, full-day and tasting tours with pickup and drop-off within a 75km radius of the Yarra Valley at an additional cost (Yarra Valley pickup and drop-off is free). They are the only company currently operating in the Yarra Valley that are very popular with the community, which is evident when you take a tour with them.
We took part in a tasting tour that included visiting five wineries and tasting wines perfectly paired with a different dish at each stop. All of the wineries we visited were dog friendly; When the weather was not favorable, they welcomed us at the cellar door or in the covered areas. Dogs and Pinots The Mercedes van (there are two; we traveled in the smaller one) is roomy enough to take your dog in the front and back. Pooches and Pinots provide dog beds and harnesses, tennis balls and dog (and human) snacks. We decided to bring our own seat and harness for the dogs, but you can discuss all this with Helen before the walk.
Our guide, Jeff (also co-owner of Pooches and Pinot), was very friendly, outgoing, passionate and knowledgeable. My partner, a wine novice, really enjoyed the tasting to learn more about the wine and really appreciate its complexity. Fun fact: Jeff is also a singer and songwriter, so if you’re a fan of 70s and 80s music, play one of his CDs; We really enjoyed talking about all things musical in the car.
Yarra Valley Wine Region, Yarra Valley And Dandenong Ranges, Victoria, Australia
Our first stop was Rob Dolan Wines which perfectly set the stage for what was to come. This winery is so beautiful and the perfect wedding venue (any dog ​​parents out there who want to get married at a winery!?) The amazing staff not only welcomed us but treated our pups with the same care and hospitality. For breakfast we were offered a plate of original pastries along with four of their wines, an item exclusive only to the Pooches and Pinot tours. The meal included a buttery croissant with sparkling wine, their acclaimed chardonnay with delicious escargot, pinot gris with a raspberry danish and pinot noir with a beautiful cherry danish.
But most importantly, this winery had everything we loved about being dog friendly and not just dog friendly (like many places that claim to be dog friendly these days). Here are some highlights:
At our second stop, Mandala Wines, we were greeted by the owner, Charles, who personally does most of the wine tasting. We were offered a wine tasting inside (yes, you can bring your well-behaved dog to taste) or outside. Here we had a charcuterie board which included a delicious selection of charcuterie, pickled vegetables/olives and toast, all made in house with ingredients grown in the cellar or on nearby farms. They paired perfectly with some of the best wines we’ve had this year. We discovered that we are big fans of chilled red wine. We liked the wine here so much that we bought a few bottles to take home. There is also a lovely restaurant with outside tables for those who wish to dine here. Mandala Wines is the ideal destination for those looking for a deeper dive into the world of winemaking.
We stopped at Steel’s Gate for lunch where we were greeted by the lovely owner Brad. We sat on the balcony overlooking the vineyard (completely covered by cafe shutters, making it the perfect place to dine in any weather). Ollie and Winks were greeted with pats and bowls of fresh water. Here we had a wine tasting followed by a 3 course lunch with a glass of wine. Lunch was as fresh as possible with all the products of the winery, each ingredient shining with beautiful colors and flavors. The wine was excellent and for someone with a scientific background I was quite impressed to hear Brad’s enthusiasm for the scientific methodology of winemaking and the attention to detail of what they do at Stills Gate.
Private Dog Friendly Yarra Valley Wine Tours
Patten & Jones is a delightful little winery opposite the world-famous Four-Pillars Gin Distillery, offering wines with a modern twist. If you like a fun place with graffiti,
