Jayden Ong Winery & Cellar Bar

Jayden Ong Winery and Cellar Bar sits at 8 Hunter Road in Healesville, an eight-minute walk from the town centre, pouring organic, cool-climate wines alongside a seasonal rotisserie menu. For dog owners the appeal is the town-based format: no drive out to a big estate, just a shaded courtyard table, a tasting flight and a walkable string of other stops around it.

Dogs at the cellar bar

Dogs join you in the outdoor shaded courtyard, a covered spot that works for both a tasting and a full meal, and staff are accommodating with four-legged guests. Bring your own water bowl and treats to be sure, and a dog that settles under a table for a couple of hours will have the better day here, since the courtyard is shared rather than dog-exclusive.

Pepsi: courtyard table, rotisserie lunch, dog asleep under the chair. The eight-minute walk back into town afterwards is the recovery lap.

What the winery pours

The focus is organic, high-altitude wines off the family's own Yarra Valley vineyards, poured through a cellar bar that eats like a restaurant. The rotisserie turns out pasture-raised meat, and the kitchen's seasonal menu has built a following for dishes like lamb shoulder, duck meatballs and house focaccia alongside the chardonnay and oysters.

Getting there and when to go

There is on-site parking, but the smarter play is leaving the car and walking from the town centre, since Healesville's main strip is close enough to string several stops together. Hours skew to the back half of the week, with lunch and dinner service Thursday through Sunday, so check before you go. The dinner sittings on Friday and Saturday are the busiest.

Make a day of it

Stefani Estate is a nearby cellar door if you are extending the wine circuit, No 7 and Cherry Tree Cafe cover dog-friendly meals in town, and BIG4 Yarra Valley Park Lane takes care of the overnight. More options are on the VIC wineries guide and the Healesville destination page.