our route through the peninsulaWith some sandwiches and bottles of water, the chef and I took off for a tour of the Mornington Peninsula wine country and coastal towns. It had been for some time now that he's been wanting to go for vineyard hopping to do a bit of tasting here and there and be on the lookout for some good cheeses.
While there was much to see other than the wine country, we decided to first drive along the western coast down to the tip of peninsula. Passing through Mornington, with beaches famous for their colourful boathouses, we made our first stop at the esplanade of Mount Martha to grab our morning coffees from South Beach Cafe. Hmm, there was a very tempting brekky being served there, but with more views to look forward to, and our sandwiches in our picnic bag, we headed further down to Safety Beach in Dromana. Tuna never tasted so much better than with the ocean in our horizon. :)
We passed through the townships of Rosebud and Rye, which are known for their caravan parks, and then further down to Sorrento just in time to see the ferry dock at the port before its trip back to the Great Ocean Road. 
We missed the marvelous sand sculptures at Rye Beach, and only realised we did upon reaching historic Portsea at the tip of the peninsula where we got hold of a visitor's guide from the visitor info centre. Sand sculpting is a yearly event at Rye, with always an interesting theme to showcase. It was Disney last year, and this year the theme is the animal kingdom. I would have loved to do a U-turn at this point, but our palates were already raring for the tastings. So, I guess Rye will have to wait for our next trip. The sand sculptures event is up until the 25th April.
On the way back north, we took concealed roads which cut through the centre of Mornington wine country. Prior to the trip, I had managed to download maps sourced from the internet, but the chef had chosen to follow his own routes. Because there were so many vineyards one could visit, we picked out a few where we could get more than just a view of the plantation.
Tuck's Ridge would have been lovely, but the parking was pretty packed when we got there. Quite understandably, it was nearly lunch time then; so, we left just as we arrived and was glad Montalto Vineyard & Olive Grove was next door. No luck for lunch again here as the resto had been fully booked, but there was much to see around the property so we hung around a bit. We were caught up at first glance with what peaks the population here-- the resto, the cafe, the free tastings, the open gallery, and of course, the view.
At the entrance, a map was provided to guests to identify the abstract sculptures beautifully scattered amongst the rows of vines. First, we weaved our way through their garden of spices and herbs, where some of their cafe tables were set up amongst the patches of shrubs. So strategically and romantically set, I would say, with the surrounding scent of the herbs adding up to the ambience of the place. And I bet it would be so picturesque at dusk with a view of the vineyard spread out on the horizon. Then, after a stroll and a few snaps up and down the vineyard, we finally saw what we've come down here for. The tasting room was getting filled, but we managed to squeeze into the bar to get
our first goblets. I was so raring for a taste of the whites, but the chef prefers only the reds. Starting from the other end would kill his patience, so I had to go with that. Not bad. The range was okay, except for the Shiraz which was quite acidic and very, very dry. The 2003 Pinot Noir of the Pennon Hill Range impressed us the most, and didn't hesitate to grab a bottle for take home. Hmm, we reckon it was a bit pricey for its vintage, but acquiring it from the source was something else.
Our next tasting stop was Pier 10, which was a short ride from Montalto. This was a totally different atmosphere, with a live jazz band performing at the resto. It was more rustic with a western cowboy appeal reflected in their furniture and menu blackboards. Compared to the previous resto's menu, the food items here were cheaper and mostly seafood and roasts. The tastings were generous, though, and so were their specials on "forgotten" chardy. Except for the sparkling red I liked, nothing enticed our palates to pick a bottle version of those sips. Or maybe my chef was just too hungry to think. Hehehe.
Despite the mouth-watering menu on giant display, the chef decided we cruised a bit more to the north to get to Red Hill Estate. The tannins from our tastings were surely making us crave for a bite! In a few, we were finally making our way through the long driveway up the estate. Parking was almost filled, and so was the tastings area, which was a warehouse of other delights as well-- jams, preserves, cordials, spices, cookbooks and souvenir items. The exceptional for my chef at this place was a cup of dukkah, Egyptian spices, a steal at $5.
Through a glass door, we slip to what seemed to be another realm. Oh yeah, this was the 
place to be. I thought we had seen the best, but the view from Max's patio was breathtaking, like being on a first date-- or even better, on a honeymoon. Sitting at such elevation gave us a spectacular view of other vineyards and a hint of the coastline below. Yeah, munching on Prawns on the Lawn for lunch kind of made sense somehow, with a platter of cheeses, water crackers, strawberries, and fig chutney. It was snacks special for the week, but it was filling enough. Besides, we still had some tastings to do.
Or that's what I thought. As soon as we sat in the car, the heat of the day had suddenly risen. And the food seeming to have finally settled. We had some more places in our short list, but we agreed that was good enough for the day. While the chef/driver flushed himself with loads of water, the navigator (that would be me), started to review our route back home on the Melway.
This was a wonderful trip worth repeating, but for sure, next time, I'd be better giving directions. Ahh, that's another story.
