Where can I find the best food and wine in the Grampians?
The best food and wine in the Grampians can be experienced at picturesque wineries such as Montara in Ararat, and one of Australia’s best regional restaurants – the Royal Mail Hotel in Dunkeld.
The wildlife-packed Grampians region of Victoria is best known for its rock-climbing, magnificent lookouts, MacKenzie Falls and abundant kangaroos. But if lugging yourself up mountains and along walking trails doesn’t much, there are some more sedentary delights. The food and wine in the Grampians, for example, is something of an emerging secret.
Wine in the Grampians, Victoria
The area isn’t one of Australia’s best-known wine regions, but there are twenty or so wineries that you can visit within a short drive of Halls Gap. Ararat and Moonambel are the two biggest centres, although the wineries are a little bit scattered around.
Pick the right Grampians tour from Melbourne
- Small group eco-tour – including Silverband Falls and Mackenzie Falls.
- Great Ocean Road AND the Grampians – two day tour.
- Private Grampians tour – pick which sights you want to include.
- Small group hiking tour – with three hiking trails.
The best wines in the region tend to be shirazes, although there’s something of an experimental ethos in the region. You’ll also find dolcettos, Rieslings, sangioveses and sparkling reds in some of the more leftfield wineries.
If you’re looking for Grampians wineries to visit, Mount Langi Ghiran has a famously beautiful setting. Montara Wines in Ararat is also picturesque, and is renowned hosting live music and cultural events.
Food in the Grampians, Victoria
Food is also rather important in these parts, and it’s rarer to find a café or restaurant not specialising in local produce than one that does. Farmers’ markets appear on a regular basis. Check out Stawell or Pomonal on the last Sunday of the month, Ararat or Natimuk on the second Sunday of every month.
Around Halls Gap and Pomonal, it’s possible to do something of a direct from the source self-guided tasting tour. Start with the conserves made from fresh fruit grown on the Five Ducks Farm in Pomonal. Then move on to the Red Rock Olives between Pomonal and Halls Gap.
In Dunkeld, meanwhile, is one of the most highly-regarded regional restaurants in Australia. If you want to dine at the Royal Mail Hotel, you’re going to need to book well in advance.
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