Departing from Ballarat and surrounding districts everyday, Hops n Grapes Winery and Brewery tours promise an entertaining, sociable and educational day out. You will discover the richness of the Pyrenees and Grampians thriving wine industry and Ballarats craft beer breweries, cideries and distilleries from some of the Winemakers and brewers themselves.
We offer both small and larger group Tours and customised Tours.
North Pyrenees wineries
Bigibila Wines
Nestled in the foothills of the Pyrenees ranges Victoria, you will find Bigibila, a boutique winery and vineyard, olive grove and sustainable farm. Owned by Peter Bicknell and Jillian Henderson. With a recently opened cellar door, they produce an excellent range of award winning reds. 100% of their grapes in their delicious wines are grown in their own vineyards, handpicked, open vat fermented and basket pressed to produce an excellent range of premium Red wines.
Peerick Wines
The Peerick Vineyard, along with its ongoing commitment to sustainability and biodiversity is a fusion of ancient cultures, spiritual connections, and a healthy ecosystem. Their distinctive labels highlight a representation of these cultures along with the Triskele from Celtic culture to represent the close spiritual connection to the earth, water sky and its creatures to harmoniously produce a distinctive range of boutique, handpicked range of red and whites.
Gwynneth Wines
The Gwynneth vineyard is a Micro winery with a difference, providing its visitors with a unique experience, starting with their mud brick cellar door and offering tastings of their elegant wines and locally grown gourmet capers and olive products. And just to add to the experience, they have created a “Golden Bell” mounted on an old windmill frame to call the Winemakers down to the cellar door.
Equus Winery
Equus Vineyard, purchased in 2005 by John Kirkpatrick and Patricia Mullins, as a young vineyard, opened its cellar door on a hill with a 360degree view of the Pyrenees in 2015. With winemaker, Owen Latta, five vintages have been produced since 2008. They make their wines from grapes only and refuse to tamper with the fermentation process and they tend to their own vines. And to top off a very pleasant experience here, she also restores antique wooden rocking and carousel horses, which are on display at her little gallery.
https://equus-at-moonambel.com
Grape Farm Winery
Located in a breathtaking little amphitheatre, you will find the Grape Farm Winery, a small family tended vineyard. Vines are hand-pruned, hand-tendered and hand-harvested. Its wine making methods are personal and traditional and are founded upon organic principles. Established in 1976, it comprises ten acres of mature vines and also boasts an olive grove, orchard and protea and native gardens. Be served by the grape farmers and winemakers who have nurtured the wine from bud to bottle! The views from the winery are spectacular and the welcome is very warm. A great place to visit.
Summerfield Wines
Summerfields wines are a family run business and have been in the business for more than forty years. Ian, with his expertise in farming and viticulture has built the foundation on which their reputation is built. Mark is the passionate winemaker, making the award-winning wines they are renowned for. The wines are handmade in small batches to ensure consistency and quality in every bottle, this has earnt Summerfield wines widespread acclaim for producing consistent quality wines. Not to mention the Woodfired Pizzas they make on a daily basis served in their beautiful restaurant. A great place for lunch.
Taltarni Wines
Well known for their environmentally friendly practices, Taltarni Vineyards is one of the pioneering wineries of Victoria’s Pyrenees wine region. Taltarni was the first winery to adopt an insectarium into their viticulture practices, the simple logic behind the Insectarium is that good insects eat the bad insects that destroy the vines, while also greatly decreasing their use of pesticides and chemicals, this ensures the quality of their grapes and sustainability of the environment. Taltarni produces wines of elegance and balance that uniquely express the terroir of the picturesque Pyrenees wine region.
Mount Avoca Winery
Mount Avoca vineyard is an organic vineyard located in the Pyrenees wine region of Victoria, where it produces high quality Australian wines for the domestic and international markets. The property was purchased in 1970 by the Barry family and is currently run by the third generation owners, Lisa and Matthew Barry, who continually provide premium quality produce and service to tourists and the local Avoca community. Mount Avoca winery is one of the best and most innovative wineries in the region, after implementing the journey to go fully organic, earning them a certification, resulting in medals and 5 star Halliday ratings.
Blue Pyrenees Winery
Blue Pyrenees Winery is an Australian owned winery committed to making quality first class wines. Established in 1963 by the French company Remy Martin, it was among one of Australia’s first cool climate viticulture ventures. Owned and managed by chief winemaker, Andrew Koerner. All their wines are made from their own grapes and produced in their own estate winery, where they produce a full range of reds, whites and sparkling wines. In their cellar door, you can learn about the wine making process, or just enjoy a tasting. They also offer tours of the winery.
Sallys Paddock at Redbank Winery
In the Northern end of the Pyrenees Range sitting in a pristine natural environment, you will find Sallys paddock at Red Bank winery established by winemaker Neill Robb and his wife Sally in1973.This family run winery is now run by third generation winemaker and daughter of Neill and Sally Robb, Sasha Fair and her husband Charlie. With beautiful estate grown red varietals and blends, Sally’s Paddock has earnt international acclaim, receiving two gold medals in the London international Wine challenge.
Their wines are produced in small, non-irrigated vineyards situated at Redbank in the Pyrenees ranges. They hand-pick and basket press their grapes, thus producing their elegant wines showing the true potential of single vineyard Pyrenees wines, and, like the vines from which they are made, have stood the test of time.
South Pyrenees wineries
Mountainside wines
Shane and Jane Goninon own and operate Mountainside Wines, a boutique vineyard and winery situated at the base of Mount Cole at the southern end of the Grampians wine region. Mountainside Wines produce premium wines from vineyards that are hand-tended and hand-picked, allowing the focus to remain on quality and consistency of flavour.
Taking a minimalist approach,all the wines are made using grapes from a single vineyard and showcase the best of the terroir of the property. They are not blended which means that every vintage reflects the weather, soil conditions, rainfall, sunshine hours, and the microclimate of the vineyards.Fining agents are not used in the red wine, allowing them to settle out naturally.This allows the true flavours of the wines to develop through the fermentation and maturation process and into the bottle. Sheep graze in the vineyard over winter providing natural weed reduction, fertilisation and the opportunity to ensure our soil biology is healthy and active.
http://www.mountainsidewines.com.au
Mount Langi Ghiran Estate
The unique location of Langi Ghirans vineyard, at 350 metres above sea level, set in between Mount Langi Ghiran and Mount Cole,allows the 50-year-old vines to produce some of the finest cool climate grapes in the world. As well as the importance of the top-quality varietals that are produced,Langi is dedicated to having the most environment-friendly, sustainable cellaring processes in the industry.The raw elements of soil, climate and vine combine to create this unique vineyard. In 1981, cuttings taken from the Old Block were the seedlings for the now flourishing Cliff Edge Shiraz block, warmly referred to as the ‘Baby Langi’. Mount Langi Ghiran now has 80 hectares under vine, primarily red grapes, with the dominant variety of course, being Shiraz. While 80% of the production is Shiraz, other varieties planted at the estate include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sangiovese and the white varieties: Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Riesling.
Wimmera Hills Winery and Mrs Bakers stillhouse
Wimmera Hills Winery and Mrs Bakers still house is located on the south-west side of the Pyrenees Ranges, Victoria.Family owned and run by three generations of the Baker family, Benjamin and Jane Baker and their son, Murdoch. Starting 20 years ago as winery making a delicious range of wines. Winemaker, Benjamin Baker, attentively nurtures each vintage mixing the best of traditional techniques with innovative ideas and technology. Branching into making distilled gins and liqueurs in 2016. Wimmera hills winery tempers the austerity of the renowned Pyrenees style with carefully handmade wines, gins and liqeurs.
http://www.wimmerahills.com.au
Dog Rock Winery
The Dogrock winery is nestled above the small township of Crowlands on the Western side of Victoria’s Pyrenees mountain range. Surrounded by rocky ridges on three sides, the vineyards lie in a horse shoe-shaped valley, each with their own distinct microclimate. Established in 1998 by winemakers Allen and Andrea Hart, Dogrock has accumulated some impressive achievements and accolades in a considerably short time. Aside from the aim to create sustainably produced wines with limited intervention, Dogrock has absolute quality expectations and a reverence for European wine styles. Dogrock wines are elegant, balanced and flavourful – contrasting with high-alcohol, overripe wines – and yet remain innovative and interesting. A 5 RED STAR rated James Halliday winery and 2018, 2019 Certificate of Excellence from Real Review.
Ballarat Winery
Michael Unwin Wines
Michael Unwin Wines is a small family-owned winery run by Michael and his wife Catherine, currently located in Beaufort, Western Victoria, but soon to be relocated to Powells road, Cardigan. Employing a small local staff, the wines are processed and bottled on site from locally grown grapes sourced from their own vineyards. Well known for their consistently high calibre wines, the wine buying fraternity enjoy tasting and buying their wines from inside the actual winemaking cellar. Michael Unwin has travelled the world and learnt the art of winemaking with some of the most influential and forward-thinking winemakers of our time.
http://www.michaelunwinwines.com.au
Chepstowe Vineyard
Established in 1994 by Bill and Lyn Wallace, Chepstowe Vineyard was purchased in 2004 by the Thain family.
Matt Thain’s passion for wine is equalled by his appreciation and respect for the land, the rich grey loam that both nurtures and lends its unique character to the fruit.
The vineyard endured a near death experience in 2013, courtesy of the Carngham bushfire that ravaged the area. Despite the destruction of vegetation, fencing and trellising the vines still managed to hang in and survive. They were all cut back to ground level to regrow. Irrigation systems, trellising and other infrastructure was replaced, the new vines trained and the Vineyard is now producing premium quality fruit once again.
Friend and winemaker Alex Byrne (Byrne Wines and Noisy Ritual Winery), with twenty years experience as a winemaker including vintages in Burgundy, France, brings his knowledge and understanding of the complexities of producing cool climate wines to create something special here with Chepstowe Vineyard wines.