Peninsula Vinehop Festival 2019

Overview

There's no better place to sample a region's top drops than at the wineries, breweries and cideries making them. So lovers of Victorian booze will be very pleased to know that the Peninsula VineHop Festival is set to return for its third year, showcasing the best of the Mornington Peninsula this November 16 and 17. 

Imagine a local version of Rutherglen's long-running Winery Walkabout, only with equal emphasis on craft beers and ciders, and it's not hard to see why VineHop's first two iterations have proved so darn popular. This year, the two-day event runs to the same concept, with both affordable tours and hop-on, hop-off shuttle buses allowing visitors to cruise between a stack of participating breweries and wineries, experiencing the best of each along the way. There's even the option to opt for a private bus for you and your friends. Yes, that's right — no designated drivers required.

As well as the opportunity to sample premium libations just metres from where they were crafted, there'll be food trucks, live music and lots of goings on at each location.

The Briars will be this year's festival hub and the home of Red Hill Estate for the weekend. The winery will be joined by Bass and Flinders Distillery, Max's Restaurant and Seaford's Mr Banks Brewery, and food trucks serving calamari, jaffles and ice cream will be on-site, too. If you'd like to just hang out here all day, tickets are just $43.

Among the other venues that will be open for visitors is the gloriously named Hickinbotham of Dromana. The family-run estate produces both wine and beer (via on-site microbrewery Hix) and will also host Mornington Peninsula Brewery and Mr Little Cider pop-ups. To make the most of the stunning scenery, make a stop at Bayview Estate which offers vistas of rolling hills and lavender farms plus the opportunity for a feed and a beer from St Andrews Beach Brewery.