Cellardoorscore.com recently visited Southern Tasmania and with views like these, it’s hard not to love the Coal River Valley wine region! 
Already home to one of our favourite cellar doors (Frogmore Creek), every time we visit Southern Tasmania there is something new to discover with so many options for great cool climate wines, including some stunning Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling, fresh and creative food and superb scenery.
There is also a fabulous array of cellar doors, most of which are family owned, giving you a great opportunity to sit down with the people behind the wine for a great tasting and chat.
Congratulations to Craigow and Every Man and His Dog Vineyard  who received our “Hidden Gem" award, joining previous winners in the region.  An overview of the region can be found on our home  page and detailed reviews of cellar doors visited can be found on our Coal River Valley page.

Cellardoorscore.com recently visited the Alpine Valleys wine region which is situated in the north-east of Victoria and winds through the valleys at the base of Victoria's ski region.  The area is known for it's stunning landscapes (including it's amazing Autumn leaves), premium cool climate wines and since our last visit, there seems to have been a significant foodie, bar and lounge revival with a number of fantastic offerings in the town of Bright.

Due to the many micro-climates in the area, the region is home to over 30 grape varieties, ranging from traditional varieties such as Chardonnay, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon to less common varietals, such as Sangiovese, Barbera, Nebbiolo, Vermentino, Savagnin, Teroldego and Marzemino.​

The cellar doors in the area tend to be smaller, more family run offerings, providing for a great personal experience as well as offering a number of different dining options and we had a great time at each one visited.
 
Congratulations to Feathertop Winery who received a "2 Door" award, Ringer Reef who received a "1 Door" award and Billy Button who received a "Hidden Gem" award.  An overview of the region can be found on our Home page and detailed reviews and ratings of individual cellar doors visited can be found on our Alpine Valleys page. 

Cellardoorscore.com recently returned to Victoria’s King Valley, an amazingly picturesque area in North Eastern Victoria.  It is situated along the King River, in the foothills of the alpine national park and is therefore a great place to visit on your way to the snow fields, as well as being a destination for food and wine lovers alike. 

The area is particularly known for Italian style wine varietals such as Prosecco, Sangiovese, Barbera, Arneis and a variety of others.  Being an area with a high degree of variance in elevation, the King Valley produces a large number of cooler climate varietals and you certainly see this in the extensive tasting lists at most of the regions cellar doors. There are also a range of great eating options in the area including some fabulous fine dining experiences at some of the areas cellar doors.

The areas around Milawa and Whitfield, where most of the cellar doors can be found, are quite flat so bike riding is a big part of the visit for many people.  There are also some great walking tracks in the area, making it possible to explore the area on foot as well as walk between a number of the cellar doors.

There is a great sense of history, tradition and pride in the King Valley and with a little over a dozen cellar doors to visit and equally as many dining options, this regions is a food and wine lovers dream and one we always look forward to returning to!
 
Congratulations to Chrismont who received our "2 Door" award.  Check out our detailed cellar door reviews from this and previous trips to the region at https://www.cellardoorscore.com/king-valley.html
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Cellardoorscore.com recently spent a fantastic week in New Zealand’s Central Otago wine region, which is set amongst absolutely stunning scenery and is most famous for its production of Burgundy-style grapes, producing some world renowned Pinot Noir.  Outside of Pinot Noir the region produces some amazing Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Gris, and Gewürztraminer.  We had some fantastic cellar door experiences here, visiting both some old favourites and now new favourites, which tend to be smaller and more personal in nature, delivering some fun, informative and interactive experiences.  Coupled with some fabulous dining options, endless outdoor activities and breathtaking surrounds (including snow 1 week before summer!), this is one region that should be high up on the “must do” list!
 
Congratulations to Misha's Vineyard, Mount Edward and Wooing Tree Vineyard who each received a "Hidden Gem" award and to Amisfield and Wet Jacket who's ratings were upgraded.  Check out our overview of the Central Otago region at http://www.cellardoorscore.com/ and our detailed cellar door reviews at http://www.cellardoorscore.com/central-otago.html

​Well, after a bit of a sabbatical in Scandinavia (although we did manage to visit one winery in Sweden!), we are back to the task at hand, visiting and promoting cellar door experiences.  First stop was a fantastic couple of days in Central Victoria where we visited a few old favourites and one new cellar door that maintains the very high standard of cellar doors in the area.
 
The area has all you need to make for a great wine getaway including fantastic restaurants, cellar doors, a wonderful new Sofitel hotel and spa at Mitchelton and even a winery based river cruise.  We always enjoy the tranquillity and hospitality of the cellar doors in this area and highly recommend it as a great, relaxing couple of days away.
 
Congratulations ​to Mitchelton Winery and Tahbilk Winery who's "2 door" awards were both reaffirmed (with both overall scores increasing to 18/20), Wine by Sam who received our "2 door" award and Fowles Wine who's "1 door" award was reaffirmed (with an increased score of 17/20) 

Refer to our Nagambie Lakes and Strathbogie Ranges pages for further information, including detailed reviews and ratings of individual cellar doors visited.

Cellardoorscore.com was recently invited to visit the new cellar door at Scotchmans Hill and what an amazing transformation it was!  The new facilities really take advantage of the amazing views of Port Phillip Bay and the Melbourne city skyline and the Cape Cod style cottage has been remodelled to provide an open and inviting cellar door experience, with a central fireplace and couches for those chilly winter days and a large outdoor seating area for those warmer summer days.  The wine tasting list is extensive, including a number of “cellar door only” wines and the new food offering provides a great mix of light dishes (the pork buns were delicious!).  We understand there are also further plans to expand the dining offering in the future.  As a result of this transformation, we have updated our review of the Scotchmans Hill experience, with an increase in score from 14.5 to 18 and “2 Doors” being awarded.  Congratulations Scotchmans Hill and thank you for inviting us to experience your new, very well thought out, cellar door offering.(Photo courtesy of Scotchmans Hill)

The Wairarapa wine region, in the south of New Zealand's North Island, may be a relatively small region producing only around 1% of New Zealand's wine, but packs a big punch in terms of wine and food offerings. 
Reviews of cellardoorscore.com ‘s latest trip to the region are now up on the website, with special congratulations ​going to Tirohana Estate and Margrain Vineyard who both received a "1 door" award and Cambridge Road and Martinborough Vineyard who both received our “hidden gem” award.
The region offers a great range of styles and varieties and with it’s long growing season, low rainfall, high sunshine hours and cool nights, offers great conditions for the beautiful Pinot Noir that is a focus of many in the area.  The cellar doors in the region tend to be smaller boutique operations which make for some great personal experiences whereby you will often be dealing directly with the owners and/or winemakers who will be more than happy to take you through their range of wines.  There are also has some fantastic dining options in the area, including at a number of the cellar doors, and the compact nature of the region makes it perfect for wine and food lovers to explore on foot or by bike.  Definitely one to add to the list next time you are on New Zealand’s beautiful North Island!