Avani Wines

Avani Wines is a small family-run cellar door at 98 Stanleys Road in Red Hill South, known for cool-climate Syrah and an unhurried, intimate tasting. Dogs are welcome in the outdoor and alfresco seating, and because the venue is genuinely small, a quick call ahead is the difference between a great visit and a drive home.

The dog setup

Leashed dogs join you at the outdoor tables with the vineyard outlook; the indoor tasting space is people-only, as is the restaurant side. Keep your dog at the table and on a standard lead throughout, bring your own water bowl and bags, and clean up after them. Seating is limited, so ring ahead or mention the dog when booking to lock in one of the alfresco spots. This suits a calm, settled dog far better than a bouncy one: the whole place is quiet by design.

Pepsi: a small room, a big Syrah, and my humans talking to the winemaker like old friends. Quiet dogs get the good seats here.

Worth knowing

The cellar door runs Thursday to Monday from 10am to 5pm, closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with bookings recommended for the seated tastings and lunch. The wine is the story: minimal-intervention, small-batch estate fruit led by Syrah, and the tasting pairs the current releases with Indian-inspired small bites, which is a rare combination in the region. A weekday or off-peak afternoon is the calmest time to have a dog in tow.

Getting there and parking

Stanleys Road branches off Mornington-Flinders Road in Red Hill South, roughly an hour and a quarter from the Melbourne CBD, with on-site parking. The outdoor tables are reached on the level from the car park, so arrival with a dog is easy.

Pair it with

The Red Hill Rail Trail is close by for a walk before or after the tasting, Mont Rouge Estate is another dog-welcoming door in the hills, and Max's Restaurant at Red Hill covers a sit-down lunch option.

More stops are on the Victoria wineries guide and the Red Hill South destinations page.