Food Tours · Tour

The Yarra Valley in a Mercedes, Six Seats Filled

Six seats, which the operator claims is the smallest group tour running in the Yarra Valley, in a Mercedes eight-seater with room to spare. Seven and a half hours, and the shape is the same as their other tour but with more of it: family-owned wineries both large and boutique, and the region's full range, from chardonnay and pinot noir to cabernet sauvignon, shiraz and sparkling. Chandon first, for a guided tasting of five sparkling foundation wines in the dedicated room rather than at a crowded bar, with time for the terrace and the homestead afterwards. Lunch at Soumah's Ai Fiori Trattoria, or at Tokar Estate: a two-course northern Italian meal with a glass of the wine you liked best in the tasting. There is a wine tasting at whichever lunch venue you get. De Bortoli closes it, with a cheese and wine pairing in the VIP Trophy Room and Noble One, or St Huberts if De Bortoli has a wedding on. And the kangaroos, on the way back, at the Heritage Golf and Country Club, where a mob lives on the course. Six people at most, in English, with an air-conditioned vehicle, bottled water, alcohol, the guide and lunch. Occasionally you may travel with a group of eight, and they will tell you if so. Contact them twenty-four hours before departure to confirm the pick-up time. Pick-ups run from Yarra Glen, Yering or Melbourne.