Wine & Food

Almost every wine tour through the Yarra Valley ends with cheese. In a converted milking shed in Yering, Yarra Valley Dairy hand-crafts cheese from cow's and goat's milk, and tasting there, you'll almost automatically be sipping a glass of sparkling wine from Coldstream alongside it. The fine acidity of the mousse cuts right through the creaminess of the goat cheese, instead of being overwhelmed by it.

Ten minutes' drive further, in Yarra Glen, sits the Yarra Valley Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery on sixteen hectares of its own land. More than two hundred and fifty different pralines, truffles, and chocolate bars are made there, some flavoured with herbs from the estate's own garden. Even the fresh cheese used in the café comes from the Dairy next door: two businesses supplying each other rather than sourcing ingredients from far away.

Dark chocolate rarely pairs well with Pinot Noir here, tempting as the pairing might seem. Its delicate fruit notes simply get lost against the cocoa. A richer, slightly sweeter wine works better. Some winegrowers in the valley pour a late-harvest, concentrated Chardonnay alongside it. Or simply a glass of sparkling wine with a somewhat higher dosage, the added sugar mixed in just before corking.

The cool climate that lets the vines here ripen so slowly also keeps the grass greener for longer, feeding the dairy cows and goats. Cheese, chocolate, and wine from the Yarra Valley therefore share more than just a postcode. They share the same valley and the same coolness. And on top of that, the same short drive from one farm to the next.