Westella Vineyard

Westella Vineyard is a small, family-run cellar door at 114 Westwoods Road in Rowella, on the western bank of the Tamar River in Tasmania. Ten acres are given over to Pinot Noir, and it is one of the more genuinely dog-friendly cellar doors in the valley, with resident dogs Lily and Willow often on greeting duty.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome both inside the cellar door and out in the garden, which is unusual for a working winery. The indoor space has a fireplace, which earns its keep on cooler Tamar Valley days. Keep your dog under control around the resident dogs and other tasters, and bring your own water bowl since the focus here is wine service rather than dog amenities.

The vibe

Pinot Noir is the specialty, including sparkling and rose styles, matched with platters of Tasmanian produce such as local cheese and smoked meats. The cellar door runs Thursday to Sunday, 11am to 5pm, and closes entirely for July. A quiet weekday afternoon gets you the fire and a table to yourselves; weekends and the last hour get busier, so call ahead if you are travelling any distance.

Pepsi: a cellar door with a fireplace and resident dogs is about as good as it gets. Let Lily and Willow come to you first.

Getting there and parking

The vineyard sits on the West Tamar tourist route, a scenic drive from Launceston. On-site parking is easy and close to the door, so you can leave the dog in the car for exactly the time it takes to walk in and ask for a table.

Pair it with

Holm Oak Vineyards and Iron Pot Bay Vineyard are both a short hop along West Bay Road for a winery-hopping afternoon, and the Exeter Fenced Dog Park is up the highway if the dog needs a proper run between tastings.

More options up and down the valley are in the Tasmania dog friendly wineries guide, and the suburb's other entries are on the Rowella destination page.