Lunches

You can only take so much of the inner city hustle and bustle of Melbourne before the urge to scream at the woods takes over your body and mind. For us, a close-by relaxant that recharges the soul, a short visit to a handful of vineyards in the Yarra Valley.

To be more specific, we’re gonna look at the best Yarra Valley wineries for lunch. It’s a bit of a tease reading this article because, most likely, you’re cheating the clock and thinking about meadowy vineyards sitting in an office wishing you were living out these fantasies… It’s a good thing we condone this behaviour… 

One two skip a few… 5 Yarra Valley wineries for lunch.

5 Yarra Valley wineries for lunch

Not listed in any particular order… they’re all pretty bloody good. And hey, if you’re staying a few days, find some accommodation in the Yarra?

Ezard at Levantine Hill

With a Persian, Mediterranean spin on an Australian Fusion, a night (or day) dining at Levantine Hill is more of a journey than a meal. It’s always a breath of fresh air, especially for people that eat out as much as us, to see ingredients not commonly found on your average menu.

In particular, we’d like to highlight the Paperbark smoked Ora King salmon, bush tomato pekmez, saffron butter, ancient grains, and pistachio paired delicately with the 2017 Estate Chardonnay. The word exquisite is a shortcoming in the shadow of this dish – a display of culinary delights that is hardly done justice in the format of words. 

We’d encourage you to partake in the premium wine flight which collates a fine selection of some of the world’s best and most expensive wines. Though there are many establishments in the Yarra Valley for lunch, Ezard at Levantine Hill is a formidable option at the least.

Visit

4.1 Google Review from 398 reviews
4.5 Trip Advisor from 530 reviews

Read on for more Yarra Valley wineries for lunch.

Innocent Bystander

Across all regions of Australia, 9 out of the 10 restaurants will have a wood-fired pizza oven, a solid selection of assorted ingredients to top said pizza, and a number of small but tasty starters that captures the entirety of their menu. Now, this formula is, in some respect, abused; Pizzas are good for profit margins, but at the same time, who the hell doesn’t like pizza with wine?

Innocent Bystander is a winery following this formula and doing a fine job as well. They seem to have nailed their demographic and marketing, so the average Joe sitting there sipping on a glass of vino isn’t a wine snob or Karen, they’re there to have a good time and enjoy the serenity – Darryl Kerrigan would 100 % approve.

We’d jump on the Cacciatori Diavola-  Hot salami, kalamata olives, peppers, asiago, oregano, unless, you no like-eh tha spice. 

Visit

Reviews:
4. Google Review from 398 reviews
4 Trip Advisor from 454 reviews

TarraWarra Estate

If you had read our article on the best wineries in the Yarra Valley, you would know that TarraWarra Estate was on our list of top wineries to visit. Not to toot our own horn or anything, but making it to both lists doesn’t happen very often.

For all that it’s worth, they are a hatted restaurant. Now, that means different things to different people, but for us, it’s a benchmark of quality that speaks for itself. For TarraWarra Estate, a silly old hat doesn’t quite do justice to this angelic like establishment.

Food aside, the architectural genius informs patrons of their attention to detail. The restaurant sits like a proud hen on a nest of eggs, the nest being the vines… and the eggs are… grapes… Whatever, the analogy was terrible, but the food is more than incredible.

Service – genuine and not pushy – check

Food – recommendations – just go with it, they’ll feed you right… unless you have an allergy, don’t go with it, let them know, and odds are they’ll be accommodating. 

… Noice.

Satisfied with our list of Yarra Valley wineries for lunch yet? Good…

Visit

Reviews

4.5 TripAdvisor rating of 265
4.3 Google rating of 164

Yering Station

Yering Station – a culinary dive into the history of Yarra Valley. Grapes were first planted on the estate in 1838, making it the oldest wine-producing vineyard in the Victorian region – not a bad claim to fame. Yet with all that history, the restaurant decor has a touch of modernistic flare equally matched in the same nature by the dishes on their menu.

The food highlights proteins paired with resonating ingredients that complement each other in texture and flavour. Simplicity is highlighted, but sometimes less is more, especially when the chef team is working with ingredients ushered in from the back paddock right into the pans and onto plates.

You could almost sit there and just eat the view if the enticing smell weren’t wafting from the kitchen, and it wasn’t completely rude to loiter without purchasing. We’d go back to Yering… for sure.

Also, if you want to have more than one glass with lunch, check our take on the Best Wine Tours in Yarra Valley.

Visit

Reviews:
4.1 Google Review from 368 reviews
4 Trip Advisor from 375 reviews

Oakridge

Last but not least on our list of Yarra Valley wineries for lunch…

The fundamental bottom line of quality is assembled by the wine and hospitality guru equivalent of the Avengers. Expertise across the board contributes to the almost unattainable level of perfection that Oakridge exudes.

Executive Chef Aaron Brodie has created a menu that’s vibrant and pure, with flecks of Asian ingredients scattered amongst a concoction of Australian staples and proteins. 

To contribute to the vibe, they `host live music quite frequently. Once Covid stops being an absolute D@!k, definitely stay up-to-date on their what’s on page. Check out their schedule.

Visit

Reviews:
4.6 Google Review from 334 reviews
4.5 Trip Advisor from 515 reviews

Ready for the Best Yarra Valley Wineries Lunch?

Compiling a list of the best Yarra Valley restaurants for lunch is like listing the best wines in Bordeaux, they’re all pretty fricken good, bar a few not worth mentioning. So it seems that the deciding factor is personal experience. The memories that flavours ignite, the people you’re with, the playlist that they were pumping at the time, and even the level of banter that the sommelier was producing on the day.

Use this list as a guide but more importantly, get out there and explore. The winemakers, employees and vineyard owners need our support at the moment, so drink up, be merry and enjoy a Yarra Valley lunch in amongst the vines with rosy cheeks and a buzz that’s verging on euphoric. 

There is nothing better than getting a little day haze on a Friday, a hint of sunkissed goodness and a few wines in your system to finish off a hard week. The best thing about it? With an eclectic and beautiful cacophony of wine regions surrounding the main cities of Australia, there’s bound to be a region close by that’s going to deliver a killer time and some damn good wines.

But for now, we’re looking at winery lunches in Mclaren Vale. Arguably one of the most famous regions in the country and certainly that of South Australia.

Other Popular Articles on the Mclaren Vale Wine Region

• Restaurants
• Accommodation
• Wine Tours
• South Australian Wine Region

The Best McLaren Vale Wineries for Lunch

There are many ways to experience the McLaren Vale Wine region. It’s one of our favourite spots in South Australia and we love it for a variety of reasons, including its local produce and the way that regional restaurants craft their menus, working seasonally with available ingredients… Restaurants easily run rabid butchering a perfectly good dish with molecular restructuring, cooking with laser beams and other sciency culinary techniques the kitchen lab can think of.

The restaurants we’re about to detail… you’ll find nothing but a demonstration of fresh ingredients paired with utter perfection.

We’ve collated a list of the 5 best wineries in McLaren Vale for lunch. We wanted to pick something for everyone so we’ll include casual dining, picnic and grazing, and then something a little bit fancy-schmancy with some fine dining.

D’arenberg

Located at the centre of McLaren Vale, d’Arenberg is a combination of the old and new. Established in 1858 by German immigrant Johan d’Arenberg, it has now been taken over by fourth-generation family member Chester Osborn (who is known as the ‘mad winemaker’).

People say to you eat with your eyes before your stomach so much is true as the cube comes into sight. Somehow you just know that you’re in for a culinary treat.

The restaurant is casual with an emphasis on family-friendly dining. The Cubes Tasting Kitchen provides a relaxed atmosphere for you to experience the five senses by way of food, wine and art.

https://www.darenberg.com.au/

Reviews:

5 Trip Advisor from 790 reviews

4.5 Google Review from 850 reviews

The Currant Shed

You can’t help but think there’s something very serene about The Currant Shed. We’re sure if we were ever to find ourselves in heaven this would feel very much like it.

The Currant Shed is a café and bakery which sits idyllically in the picturesque town of Blewitt Springs, South Australia. Nestled amongst wildflower farmlands between McLaren Vale and Aldinga, The Currant Shed offers morning mists, gentle breezes and rustic charm close to all that’s going on in the region, while still being a world away.

We’ll leave one of our favourite dishes here:

Cured and smoked port lincoln kingfish, wombok and radish salad, ice plant, beach bananas, finger limes, soy gel, micro coriander, togarashi, aromatic coconut sauce.

What did we tell you… an integral display of honest and innovative ingredients and certainly a contender for one of the best winery lunches in McLaren Vale.

https://thecurrantshed.com.au/

Reviews:

5 Trip Advisor from 905 reviews

4.8 Google Review from 353 reviews

Maxwell Wines

Maxwell Wines is famous for its restaurant. It’s had multiple awards, including the prestigious James Halliday Best Winery Restaurant in Australia.

Their motto of “Wine, Art and Soul” represents their commitment to producing great wines with a strong focus on community involvement. Their winemaker’s cellar door also boasts the finest bottles of Shiraz you could possibly sample through this blessed wine country.

Maxwell Wines is so much more than just a wine producer, it’s become somewhat of an art gallery for the region. The Maxwell family are very passionate about art and have collected many works over time. The cellar door features their own paintings as well as those from other talented Australian and International artists.

Head chef Fabian Lehmann sports nothing but the finest quality using innovative and fresh ingredients sourced from around the magnificent wine region that is McLaren Vale.

https://www.maxwellwines.com.au/

Reviews:

4.5 Trip Advisor from 347 reviews

4.3 Google Review from 167 reviews

Star of Greece

The sea surge grinding against the sand, the transition of silence only broken by enthused conversation owned by excited guests and respectful staff. The menu is a culinary display of the sea’s smorgasbord with emphasis on fresh add local components cooked in a fashion that compliments both the flavours and the skills of a chef that has trained for a lifetime.

Fish and chips at the kiosk for the kids after a solid beach session. But if a 4-course meal matched with delicate wines from the region’s finest is more your flavour then we suggest the Chargrilled wagyu eye fillet with pumpkin puree, local oyster mushroom, broccolini, macadamia, and jus.

Although this isn’t a ‘WINERY’ Lunch in McLaren Vale per se, we’ve added it to the list anyway, sorry ’bout it.

https://starofgreecerestaurant.com/

Reviews:

4.4 Google Review from 827 reviews

4 Trip Advisor from 718 reviews

Woodstock McLaren Vale

A lavish garden setting, glasses half full with bold reds that reciprocates the clear benchmark of quality that McLaren Vale consistently supplies. Nibble plates, grazing platters, and FlammeKeuche – a german styled flatbread pizza that is topped with ingredients and covered in cheese just the way we likey. There are more carbs than you can poke a stick at on this menu, but leave the underlying guilt and dread of Monday’s treadmill sesh behind and have a crack.

Woodstock is a great function and family venue. There’s plenty of room to run around and even entertain the little native hoppers that quite often accommodate eager patrons.

If drool has begun cascading from the mouth, add this jewel of Athens to the list of the best winery lunches in McLaren Vale.

https://woodstockwine.com.au/

Reviews:

4.5 Trip Advisor from 103 reviews

4.1 Google Review from 136 reviews

McLaren Vale Wineries – The Best Lunch in Town

The McLaren Vale Wine Region in South Australia is a beautiful and serene place in which to avoid wine tasting and joining in the festivities would be an absolute travesty. However, during the day when not much transpires, it can be rather expensive to tour by yourself, especially if you’re on the glorious wine train and driving isn’t in question. So jump on a wine tour, it’s 100 % the best way to see more than one winery and try more than 2 varieties. 

We’ve written a wee little article on McLaren Vale Wineries that have tickled our fancy and it’s definitely an insight that you’ll want to gain before heading to the region. McLaren Vale wine region – vast as it is beautiful. Be sure to have a wine on us, drink responsibly, and support local tourism! Drink, be merry, and Enjoy!!

If you’ve enjoyed our take on ‘Winery Lunches in McLaren Vale’ but another region in South Oz would suit you better, We’ve covered a few regions worth visiting or at least reading about!

Adelaide Hills | Clare Valley | Barossa Valley | Coonawarra | Langhorne Creek