Yering Station Review – Yarra Valley Wineries

Yering Station

Yering Station was Victoria’s first vineyard, so that fact alone makes it a must-see if you’re visiting wineries in the Yarra Valley. The estate is grand and impressive – though some spaces of Yering Station feel almost intimidating formal – but it was so interesting and fun exploring the gardens and both the very old and very new buildings scattered around the grounds.

The Venue

There are several building at Yering Station and they have quite different atmospheres from one to another. Some spaces felt very formal and others had more of a visitor centre vibe. The Winery Cellar Door though felt much more comfortable and approachable. The space for wine tasting had a sensible blend of crisply modern, while still feeling rustic and adequately farmy.

The Grounds

The grounds and views are absolutely stunning, and the landscaping is immaculate. Though it was a shame there were signs saying to keep off the perfectly manicured lawn, not only did they seem to interrupt the aesthetic of the space, it also looked like the perfect space for a picnic.

The walkways are all flat, sealed, and perfectly accessible for prams, wheelchairs and would be high-heel-friendly.

In one of the building you can even peek through the large windows into the working wine factory and see the giant metal wine barrels.

For Families

As mentioned above the spaces are all flat and also the paths are wide enough for prams to not be in the way. While we were visiting there were many children running around in some of the less formal areas of the gardens (where the grass was permitted to run on). I imagine for older children exploring the grounds would be fun, though the estate is huge and I would worry about younger children getting lost if they weren’t closely supervised.

For Groups And Weddings

Groups of less than 10 people can turn up for a wine tasting for free without a booking. If you’re coming with group a of 10-24 you need a booking in advance and will pay $10-$25 a head depending on your chosen tasting plan. For groups the wine tasting takes place in a private space upstairs, away from the main tasting area. Though after attending the private session people can still go down stairs and taste more wine at no additional cost.

Also, Yering Station would undoubtedly be an incredible wedding venue; from intimate to very large weddings – for more information check out their weddings and events page.

The Food

Yering Station has a very formal restaurant on the estate and main meals start from $40. Though sweets, treats and local produce can be purchased at the Cellar Door and I assume similarly to Kellybrook Winery there’d be no reason you couldn’t take your food and wine outside to picnic with it if you’d rather eat in a less formal environment.

The Service

The service was incredible! While the wine tasting was very busy there were plenty of staff to go around. We were given a very detailed, and thoroughly entertaining, one on one wine tasting. The guy serving us wine was amazing and started pairing the wines with David Bowie and Queen songs. He also suggested their Merlot was the wine served in the Ballroom Scene of the Labyrinth. It was the most enjoyable wine tasting before we’d even sipped the wine.

The Wine

The wine tasting itself was very generous! There were 14 differents wines available to taste for free. You can pick and choose which wines you’d like to try, or taste the lot. This was one winery where using the spittoon was wise, because the volume and speed of the wine coming our way did start to go to my head a little!

If that’s not enough, or the wines don’t tickle your fancy, there are 4 additional “Reserve” wines to taste for $15.

Whites

2011 Yarrabank sparkling Cuvee – Great balance of sweet and dry. $38

2005 Yarrabank disgorged cuvee – Dry, but smooth and creamy. This was my top pick for the winery. $55

N.V. Yarrabank Creme De Cuvee – Fruity and a little on the sweet side for me, however I’d buy it to share a drink with my sweeter wine drinking friends as a compromise. $30

2010 M.V.R – Best value wine at $15 a bottle.  Quite dry, crisp and light.

2016 Yering Village Chardonnay – I’m not normally keen on chardonnay, but I was so pleased with this wine I bought a bottle. It was clean and crisp, dry, but very easy drinking. $24

2014 Yering Station Chardonnay – Drier and richer, though I actually preferred the crispness the Yering Village Chardonnay. $40

Reds

2015 Yering Village Pinot Noir – Dry and full bodied, with a smooth finish.

2015 Yering Village Merlot – Perfect for a dinner party red, as it was very approachable even as a non-red drinker while still being dry and savoury enough to satisfy the big red drinkers.

2014 Yering Station Shiraz Viognier – Bold wine. Not extremely dry, but still full bodied.$24.

2014 Yering Station Cabernet Sauvignon – Very interesting wine. Spicy, woody, almost herby, with cherry.

Overall amazing experience. Absolute must see, if you go to no other wineries just go straight to the Yering Station for an amazing experience – also allow yourself a lot of time here between exploring the grounds and there being so many wines to try. We really needed to give ourselves 2 hours to truly appreciate this venue.

Also, as a side note, the toilets were very clean. 

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