Brown Brothers Winery

Brown Brothers is the historic flagship of the Milawa gourmet region, a family-owned winery with more than 135 years of winemaking behind it, about two and a half hours from Melbourne. For dog owners the draw is scale: expansive gardens, picnic lawns and an oak-shaded courtyard where a leashed dog settles in properly while you work through a serious tasting, rather than being wedged into a token corner of a car park.

The dog setup

Well-behaved dogs on a leash are welcome across the outdoor courtyard, shaded lawns and garden areas. The indoor tasting room and restaurant's indoor dining are off limits, so build your visit around the outdoor tables, which sit close enough to the action that you miss nothing. Water bowls are readily provided around the grounds, and staff are famously fond of a pat. If you are booking the restaurant for lunch, mention the dog when you reserve so you are seated in the outdoor section; cleaning up after your dog immediately is the one non-negotiable.

Pepsi: Beanbags on the lawn, a bowl that never emptied and prosecco for the humans. The long drive earned its keep.

Worth knowing

The wines lean pioneering: Brown Brothers helped put Prosecco and Moscato on Australian tables, and the Patricia range shows what the site can do at the top end. Tastings run daily from 9am to 5pm, and the hatted restaurant serves a seven-day grazing menu. Cellar door days are busiest on weekends; the gardens give a restless dog enough space either way, but a midweek visit is the relaxed version.

Getting there and parking

The winery sits at 244 Milawa-Bobinawarrah Road, Milawa, with ample free on-site parking on gravel that makes the walk from car to lawn easy with a dog. The Milawa gourmet strip, cheese factory and bakery are minutes away, and Beechworth is a short drive north for a heritage-town wander.

Make a day of it

The King Valley continues the run: Pizzini Wines and Dal Zotto Wines up the valley both lean into the Italian-varietal story, and The Inn Beechworth is a dog-friendly base if the tasting turns into a weekend.

More options at dog friendly wineries in Victoria or around Milawa.