Best Yarra Valley Wine Tours, by Traveller

The best Yarra Valley wine tour for you depends on three things: how long you have, whether you want lunch in the fare, and who is coming with you. Here is the strongest day for each case, chosen from ratings, review numbers, group caps, ages and what each fare includes.

Which Yarra Valley wine tour is best for you?

Start with time. If you have a whole day, most tours leave central Melbourne between 8:00 and 9:30 and run about eight hours. If you have half a day, a five-hour tour visits three wineries, and one tour leaves as late as 11:30. Then decide on lunch. Some fares include a winery lunch. Others leave it to you, and cost less for it.

Last, think about your group. Several tours take adults only, and a few take children from 3, 4 or 5. The picks below are sorted by those questions, so you can skip to the one that matches your day.

The most-reviewed tour, and why

The wine, gin, whisky and chocolate tour rates 4.9 from 1,471 reviews, more reviews than any other valley day. It costs $91 and gives you five stops. You taste wine at Soumah, St Huberts and Balgownie Estate, beer and chocolate come in the fare, and you get 75 minutes for lunch at Hubert Estate or Chandon.

It leaves the Ian Potter Centre on Flinders Street at 9:00 sharp. You are asked to arrive by 8:35, and the bus does not wait. A driver takes you for the whole day. Children from 7 can come. The price is low because lunch is not in it, so budget for a meal.

Is lunch in the fare worth it?

It is worth it if you want a sit-down meal without choosing a restaurant. The four-winery day with lunch rates 4.7 from 1,429 reviews. It costs $134 with lunch and a glass of wine at Balgownie Estate or a similar winery, then tea or coffee. It visits Greenstone, Yering Farm and Soumah as well.

The lunch-and-gin tour rates 4.9 from 354 reviews and costs $126. It serves a two-course lunch with a glass of wine, and hosts tastings at four wineries, including Yering Station and Helen & Joey Estate. It is for adults 18 and over. If you drink gin, you can swap a winery for Four Pillars or a beer tasting for an extra fee.

Without lunch in the fare, one tour puts a winery lunch at about A$25 to A$35. Add that to a lunch-free fare before you compare.

Which tour is best for half a day?

The half-day winery tour from Melbourne rates 4.8 from 282 reviews and costs $90. You spend about 45 minutes at each of Helen & Joey Estate, Payten & Jones and Soumah, with more than 16 wines to taste. You choose a morning or an afternoon run, and you board at Arts Centre Melbourne or in Lilydale.

If you want a full hour at each winery, the small-group half day costs $95 and names the cellar door fees in the fare. Both are for adults only. The Yarra Valley half-day wine tours set every short option side by side.

Which is best if you drink gin or beer?

For gin, book the wine, cider, gin and chocolate tour. It rates 4.8 from 788 reviews, costs $92 and puts a gin paddle at Four Pillars in Healesville in the fare. You also taste at Yering Farm and Tokar Estate, and finish with 10 to 12 chocolates.

The grazing tour pairs gin with wood-fired pizza at Stag Lane Distillery, and collects you from a central hotel. For beer, the most-reviewed day includes beer tastings, and the lunch-and-gin tour offers a beer swap.

Can children come?

On some tours, yes. The Chandon and kangaroo tour takes children from 3. The wine, chocolate and gin tour takes them from 4, the four-winery lunch days from 5, and the wine, cider, gin and chocolate tour from 6. The half-day tours, the lunch-and-gin tour, the bike tour and the private day are for adults 18 and over.

In Victoria, a child may be in a licensed venue with a parent or guardian, but no one under 18 may drink alcohol. Staff check ID for anyone who looks under 25. Chocolate, fruit and cheese stops keep a young traveller busy, and the Yarra Valley wine and food tours have the most of them.

Which tours have the smallest groups?

The private day is your group alone, from two to ten people. After that, the bike tour takes eight riders, and the Chandon tour takes eleven travellers in a minivan. The half-day tours and the Redwoods day cap their groups at 15.

The larger coaches take 20 to 24. A bigger group is not a worse day, but you share the tasting bar with more people. If you want to talk to the person pouring, pick a smaller group.

Which tour is best for a late start?

The Chandon and kangaroo tour leaves Federation Square at 11:30. It rates 4.9 from 353 reviews and costs $138. You taste sparkling wine at Chandon, then Yering Station, cheese and an hour at the Yarra Valley Chocolaterie. The last hour is at a known kangaroo spot at sunset.

Sightings there are common, but wildlife is never guaranteed. For couples who want a slow morning and an evening in the valley, it is the pick.

Which tour is best on a budget?

The food, wine and chocolate tour is the lowest fare, at $70. It rates 4.7 from 173 reviews and gives you fruit at a strawberry farm, St Huberts, Tokar Estate and a guided chocolate tasting. You buy lunch at Rochford Wines. It needs four travellers to run, and it takes guests from 14.

For a little more, the wine, chocolate and gin tour costs $84 and rates 4.9 from 276 reviews. It tastes at Yering Station and Yering Farm and includes up to 12 chocolates. Children from 4 can come. On both days, add the cost of lunch before you compare them with a lunch fare.

Which tour is best for sparkling wine?

Chandon is the valley's sparkling house. It was founded here in 1986, and its cellar door on Maroondah Highway in Coldstream opens from 11am to 4:30pm daily. The Chandon and kangaroo tour gives you an hour there, and the most-reviewed day offers it as a lunch stop.

If sparkling wine is the whole point of your trip, the private day opens with a brunch at Chandon, with oysters and charcuterie. It costs far more, so read the private winery tours guide before you choose.

How the tours compare

Here are the picks side by side. Fares are per person and move with the date you choose.

What every tour leaves out

No tour here is listed as wheelchair accessible. If you use a wheelchair, ask the operator what they can arrange before you book. No tour includes a hot air balloon flight, and none promises a kangaroo sighting.

Most tours meet at a kerb in central Melbourne rather than your hotel. The grazing tour and the private day are the exceptions. Healesville Sanctuary is only included on the wildlife option of the Redwoods day.

Who should skip a wine tour?

If you want two hours at one cellar door, drive with a sober friend or book the private day. Tours keep to a timetable. If you want the forest more than the vines, the Yarra Valley activities page covers the redwoods and the rail trail. If you only want the animals, go straight to Healesville Sanctuary on bus 685 from Lilydale station.

Frequently asked questions

Tours that fit this list

Melbourne: Yarra Valley Wine, Gin, Whisky and Chocolate Tour

Five stops from Flinders Street at 9:00: Soumah, St Huberts, the Chocolaterie and Balgownie Estate, with lunch bought on the day.

From $91 per person

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Melbourne: Yarra Valley Wine Tour + Lunch & Gin/Beer Upgrade

Four hosted tastings and a two-course lunch with a glass of wine, for adults, with a gin or beer swap.

From $126 per person

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Yarra Valley Wine & Winery Tour from Melbourne - All Inclusive!

Four wineries from central Melbourne, with lunch and a glass of wine at Balgownie Estate or a similar winery in the fare.

From $134 per person

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