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 second year, having been awarded a Regional Events Fund grant by the Victorian Government and Visit Victoria. It'll showcase the best of the Mornington Peninsula this November 17 and 18, featuring 22 local beer, wine and cider producers, across 11 different venues.
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 2017 debut proved so darn popular.
This year, the first day of the event runs to the same concept — on November 17, affordable shuttle buses will allow visitors to cruise between a stack of participating breweries and wineries, experiencing the best of each along the way. Punters have the option of jumping on a set tour, or taking things at their own pace. Best of all? There's no need for a designated driver.
Announced yesterday, the exciting lineup of Vinehop 2018 venues includes the likes of Kerri Greens' stunning hillside cellar door at Red Hill South, Main Ridge's Bayview Estate, and Mock Red Hill cidery, with the ever-popular Red Hill Estate running its festival hub from the Briars in Mount Martha.
As well as the opportunity to sample premium libations just metres from where they were crafted, there'll be a program of food trucks, live music and DJs setting the mood at each location.
And on November 18, guests can settle in for the more relaxed PostHop Sunday Session — a degustation picnic held at Hickinbotham of Dromana, featuring live tunes from Bamboos leading lady Kylie Auldist, along with some cracking food and drink pairings.
The full program of venues for Saturday's Vinehop event includes:
Bayview Estate, Main Ridge
Blue Range Estate Wines, Rosebud
Dromana Estate, Tuerong
Hickinbotham Estate, Dromana
Kerri Greens, Red Hill South
Merricks General Wine Store at Baillieu, Merricks North
Mock Red Hill, Red Hill
Old Apple Shed, Boneo
Phaedrus Estate, Moorooduc
Red Hill Estate at the Briars, Mount Martha
Stumpy Gully Vineyard, Moorooduc
And thanks to a series of onsite pop-ups, you'll also have the chance to sample drops from these guys along the way:
Bass and Flinders Distillery
Dainton Brewery
Hix Beer
Hop Nation
Jetty Road Brewery
Mornington Peninsula Brewery
Mr Banks Brewery
Portsea Estate
Red Hill Brewery
St Andrew's Beach Brewery
Ten Sixty One Cider
Vinehop 2018 will run across November 17 and 18. Grab tickets from August 3, via the website.