Private Winery Tours in the Yarra Valley

A private winery tour in the Yarra Valley puts your group in its own vehicle, from your door, with a sparkling brunch at Chandon. It costs several times a shared fare. Here is what it includes, who it suits, when it runs, and the small-group days that come close for less.

What does a private Yarra Valley tour include?

The private brunch day is an eight-hour day for your group alone. It includes a sparkling wine brunch at Chandon with oysters and charcuterie, a cheese tasting at Yarra Valley Dairy, lunch platters, tastings at three wineries, and a gin paddle at Four Pillars in Healesville.

Private transport with pickup is in the fare, and no extras are listed. It costs $493 per person, and it rates 5.0 from 10 reviews. It is the only private tour we list, so the choice is between this day and a small group.

Who is it for?

It suits a group that wants its own pace. A couple marking an occasion, a family of adults, or friends who would rather not share a minivan get the most from it. So does anyone staying in the valley, because it collects you there.

It does not suit children. Every guest must be 18 or over. It also suits a budget less well than a group day, which is the point of the comparison further down.

Pickup and the 9:30 start

The driver collects you from your accommodation at 9:30, in Melbourne or in the Yarra Valley. You do not walk to a kerb or meet a bus. Give your address when you book, and be ready at the door.

A 9:30 start is later than most shared days, which leave between 8:00 and 9:30. If you are staying in the valley, it is later still in practice, because the drive from the city is not part of your morning.

The Chandon brunch

Chandon was founded in the Yarra Valley in 1986, and its cellar door sits at 727 Maroondah Highway in Coldstream. It opens from 11am to 4:30pm daily and closes on 25 and 26 December. The private day serves sparkling wine there with oysters and charcuterie.

Shared tours stop at Chandon too. The Chandon and kangaroo tour includes a tasting there, and the most-reviewed day offers it as a lunch stop. What the private day adds is the brunch in the fare and a table for your group.

Private vs an 11-seat van

The Chandon and kangaroo tour takes eleven travellers at most. It costs $138 and rates 4.9 from 353 reviews. It leaves Federation Square at 11:30 and visits a strawberry farm, Chandon, Yering Station and the Yarra Valley Chocolaterie, with an hour at a kangaroo spot at sunset.

You share the van, and lunch is not in the fare. But children from 3 can come, and the price is far lower. For a mixed-age family, the small van is the better buy.

Private vs a 15-seat small group

The half-day tours cap their groups at 15. The half-day winery tour costs $90 and spends about 45 minutes at each of three wineries. You board at Arts Centre Melbourne or in Lilydale, and there is no lunch.

A group of 15 still feels personal at the tasting bar. If what you want is small numbers rather than your own vehicle, a 15-seat day gives you most of that for a fraction of the private fare.

When does the private tour run?

From 2 February to 5 November. That covers vintage, which runs from mid-February to the end of April, and the cool months from May to September. It does not run between 6 November and 1 February.

If your trip falls outside those dates, the shared tours run all year. Pack a warm layer from May: at Coldstream, July averages a maximum of 13.5 °C.

What does it cost per person?

The fare shows $493 per person, and the price varies with the size of your group. Enter your party size at checkout to see the real total before you pay. It refunds in full if you cancel at least 24 hours before the start.

Compare that with a shared day. The wine, chocolate and gin tour costs $84 and takes children from 4. The most-reviewed day costs $91. The difference buys your own vehicle, pickup at your door, brunch, lunch and a gin paddle.

Is a private tour worth it?

It is worth it if you want brunch at Chandon with your own group, collection from your door and no strangers at the table. It is also worth it if you are staying in the valley, where most tours do not collect you.

It is not worth it if you mainly want to taste wine. A shared day visits as many cellar doors, and the gap in price pays for a very good dinner. The guide to the best wine tours sets out the shared picks.

Yarra Valley Dairy and Four Pillars

The private day adds two stops most shared days do not combine. Yarra Valley Dairy sits at 70 McMeikans Road in Yering and opens from 10:30am to 5pm daily. The cheese tasting there is in your fare.

Four Pillars is a gin distillery at 2 Lilydale Road in Healesville. It opens at 10:30am and closes at 5:30pm from Sunday to Thursday, and at 9pm on Friday and Saturday. You taste a gin paddle there, so a non-wine drinker in your group still has a highlight.

What does the running order look like?

The fare lists what is included, not the order of the stops. Ask for the running order when you book if you have a train or a dinner to catch. Chandon opens at 11am, so plan on the brunch coming after that.

Every guest should carry photo ID. Staff check anyone who looks under 25, and the day is for adults only.

How far ahead should you book a private day?

As soon as your date is fixed. The day takes one group at a time and runs only from 2 February to 5 November, so a weekend in vintage deserves an early booking. Booking early costs you little, because it refunds in full if you cancel at least 24 hours before the start.

What should you wear and bring?

Layers. At Coldstream, July averages a minimum of 3.9 °C, and even summer mornings start cool. In warm months bring a hat and sunscreen, and one operator warns about flies in summer. Wear comfortable shoes and carry photo ID.

Private vs driving yourself

Driving yourself costs less and gives you the same freedom, but one person does not taste. You also book each stop, check its hours and find a table for lunch. Tokar Estate closes at 4pm on weekdays, and Greenstone opens only from Thursday to Monday.

A private day hands all of that over. Everyone tastes, the brunch is booked, and nobody reads a map. For a group of adults celebrating something, that is usually what the fare buys.

Can you stay in the valley and go private?

Yes, and it is one of the day's strengths. The pickup works from accommodation in the valley as well as Melbourne. Helen & Joey Estate in Gruyere has hotel rooms at the winery, and its restaurant serves lunch from Friday to Monday.

Staying in the valley also gives you a second day. Healesville Sanctuary opens 9am to 5pm, and Four Pillars stays open late at the weekend.

Who should not book the private day?

Families with children under 18, because every guest must be an adult. Book the Chandon and kangaroo tour instead, or browse the Yarra Valley wine and food tours, where some days take children from 3 or 4.

Travellers visiting between 6 November and 1 February, when it does not run. And if you use a wheelchair, ask the operator first, because the day is not listed as wheelchair accessible. For a tight budget, a shared day gives you the same valley for a fraction of the fare.

Small-group alternatives compared

Here is the private day against the smallest shared groups.

Frequently asked questions

Tours for a small party

Yarra Valley luxe private tour with Champagne Brunch

Your group only, collected from your accommodation, with a sparkling brunch at Chandon and a gin paddle.

From $493 per person

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Yarra Valley: Wine, Chandon & Food Tour Inc Kangaroo Safari

An 11:30 start, sparkling wine at Chandon, cheese, Yering Station, chocolate and a dusk stop for kangaroos.

From $138 per person

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Melbourne: Yarra Valley Wine Tour + Choc, Gin & Good Times

Fruit at a farm gate, Yering Station and Yering Farm tastings and up to 12 chocolates, from the Arts Centre.

From $84 per person

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