Mont Rouge Estate

Mont Rouge Estate at 232 Red Hill Road is a family run Mornington Peninsula winery with a difference: the cellar door shares its home with Cocoa Rouge, an artisan chocolaterie that makes couverture chocolate in small batches on site. Wine tasting, lunch and chocolate sit on one vineyard stop.

The dog setup

Well behaved dogs are welcome in the outdoor seating, where sunny and shaded tables look over the vines, and the team asks only that dogs stay outside and that you mention them when booking. In practice that covers lunch on the deck as comfortably as a tasting.

Inside is the chocolate kitchen, so tasting flights of pinot noir and chardonnay happen at the outdoor tables alongside the handmade chocolate boxes, ice cream and coffee that Cocoa Rouge turns out.

The vibe

The estate runs Wednesday to Sunday from 11am to 5pm, and the combination of vines and chocolate draws a mix of wine drinkers and families. Photos in front of the vines are practically part of the visit, and the tasting list leans into the cool climate pinot noir the ridge is known for.

Max: chocolate is off my menu, but the shaded lawn table is the best seat on the Peninsula. I get the corner spot and everyone's picnic plates drift my way.

Getting there

The estate sits on Red Hill Road in Red Hill, about 10 minutes inland from Dromana and an easy drive up Arthur's Seat from the Mornington Peninsula Freeway. Parking is on site, and weekends fill up so book a table ahead.

Pair it with

Myrtaceae Winery and Main Ridge Estate keep the tasting run going nearby, and Tucks at Red Hill South offers lawn seating for a second dog friendly pour.

Nordie Café handles breakfast before the tasting, and the full line up is on the Red Hill destination page or in the Victorian wineries guide.