An Autumn Escape To The Place For Pinot

Sixteen wineries. Five weeks. A region-first digital wine trail with rewards at every stop.

Whether you’re a long-time Pinot lover or just discovering the variety, tasting it here in the Yarra Valley, at the source, is an experience like no other.

Wine Yarra Valley invites wine lovers, travellers and curious explorers to discover the grape that defines this region. The Place for Pinot runs from 20 March to 27 April 2026, with sixteen participating wineries offering dedicated Pinot experiences and a new digital wine trail rewarding visitors for every stop they make.

Participating wineries are rolling out winemaker dinners, single-vineyard vertical tastings, Pinot flights with locally sourced produce and behind-the-scenes cellar door encounters. Tying it together is the Digital Pinot Passport — a mobile-first wine trail requiring no app download. Visitors scan QR codes at each winery to verify their visit, accumulate points and enter the draw to win a Pinot Prize Pack featuring wines from every participating winery.

The Yarra Valley’s case for Pinot begins in the ground: ancient grey loams and younger red volcanic soils produce wines of genuinely contrasting character — from ethereal and perfumed to wines of Burgundian depth. Pinot Noir leads, but the region also produces compelling Pinot Gris and Pinot Meunier, increasingly celebrated as a still red in its own right.

“The Place For Pinot is our most ambitious effort yet to put visitors right in the middle of the Yarra Valley Pinot story. We want visitors to arrive at one winery and leave planning their next three stops.” Grove Galligan, General Manager, Wine Yarra Valley

Pinot Noir accounts for around 40% of the region’s production, making it the heartbeat of Yarra Valley winemaking

• Cool temperatures slow ripening and build complexity, resulting in wines that are intensely aromatic and medium-bodied with fresh acidity
• Two dramatically different soil types — ancient grey-brown clay loams in the north and younger, deep red volcanic soils in the south — create distinct wine styles across the region
• Wines from lower, warmer sites tend to be lush and fruit-forward; those from higher, cooler sites are often more structured, earthy and savoury
• Pinot is a shape-shifter: no two Yarra Valley Pinots taste the same, which makes exploring cellar doors across the region genuinely rewarding

“Yarra Valley Pinot Noir is unique and we make it in a number of different ways across this region. This autumn I’d encourage everyone to come out, visit one of our beautiful cellar doors and taste what the Valley has to offer.” Jayden Ong, Jayden Ong Wines

Participating wineries in The Place For Pinot

Oakridge · Helen & Joey Estate · SOUMAH · Squitchy Lane · Punt Road Wines · Pimpernel Vineyards · Medhurst Wines · De Bortoli Wines · TarraWarra Estate · Giant Steps · Boat O’Craigo · Jayden Ong Wines · Wedgetail Estate · Cellar Door at The Farm · Nillumbik Estate · Buttermans Track Wines

When: 20 March – 27 April 2026 

Where: Yarra Valley, VIC 

From Melbourne: ~1 hour 

Join the trail, experience world-class Pinot and earn rewards to win.