Discover Ballarat’s best cellar door experiences, with award-winning wine, craft beer, gin and cider on the menu.

From the small-batch brewer to the best beer halls and wineries, here are some of the best stations in and around Ballarat to access premium locally-made liquid gold.

1. Mitchell Harris 
Step inside this refurbished 1870s produce store and workshop and experience the great wines and stories of Western Victoria at this industrial cool cellar door and wine bar. 
 
Winemaker, John Harris, works with growers in the Pyrenees, Macedon, Ballarat and Henty wine regions to craft wines that reflect the cool climate characters of Western Victoria. 

Always keen to share his love of wine and the craft of turning carefully nurtured grapes into fine wine, each year John takes a group of curious winemakers on a journey from vineyard to bottle.

You will uncover the thoughts and processes that go into creating a memorable bottle of wine on this year-long journey. 

2. Eastern Peake 
Take a short 20-minute scenic drive out to Coghill’s Creek and you’ll discover Eastern Peake Winery. 

Visit the cellar to enjoy top drops, including some of the best Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah in the state. 

You’ll instantly understand why Owen Latta has been awarded Australia’s Young Winemaker of the Year. 

You’ll also have the chance to taste Owen’s personal innovation, Latta Vino, which is really getting people excited. 

These experimental wines are produced with grapes from vineyards run by old family friends and relatives in the surrounding area.

Like Eastern Peake, the fruit is all sustainably grown, and the wine is made with no additions. 

3. Michael Unwin Wines 
Situated just off Ballarat’s beautiful Avenue of Honour, the Michael Unwin Wines cellar door has become a popular weekend destination for local wine lovers. 

 
Processed and bottled onsite, you’ll likely find yourself right in the middle of the wine making process when you arrive.

And soon, you’ll be able to sample their single-vineyard One Goat, Umbrella Man and Tattooed Lady varieties from the inside of a fully restored decommissioned W-Class tram (talk about something different!) 

4. Captains Creek Organic Wines
Taste organic drops in the Captains Creek Organic Wines‘ 100-year-old workers hub which has been lovingly transformed over time into a cellar door for travelling wine lovers.

Four generations of the May family have been working this farm for more than a century, so don’t be surprised if you find yourself talking with Doug or Carolyn about their journey of transition into an organic farm and winery.

HOT TIP: You can stay the night in the winery’s new accommodation, Monterey Eco Stay. These tiny houses guarantee you a secluded and intimate luxury escape.

5. Hop Temple
Mosey on down Hop Lane to popular laneway hangout Hop Temple and try one of more than 250 craft beers on the menu (one of the the largest range in Victoria)  – including award-winning gluten-free beer O’Brien Beer, craft-brewed by the local team at Rebellion Brewing and Ballarat-based brewing and blending company Dollar Bill Brewing.

 
Set up in old, converted stables, you’ll find yourself mesmerised by the recycled creations that adorn the venue as you sip away on your next favourite craft beer, from lights made from hot water systems to the bar that was made from old door – it’s got all of those laid back Sunday afternoon vibes. 

6. Aunty Jacks
Take in the scenes of a working brewery at Ballarat’s newest brew-pub Aunty Jacks, or chat with their onsite brewer during one of their popular Beer School workshops.

Aunty Jacks is the place to visit and learn about all things beer – celebrating the artisan craft of brewing, sustainable agriculture and a taste that is uniquely Ballarat.

Around 100,000 litres of beer – including lager, pale ale, stout and seasonal specials – are produced on site each year, and you have the chance to see all this first-hand. 

7. Cubby Haus Brewing
A must-visit destination for beer lovers and beer dreamers, this family-run brewery is built on a passion for good living and fantastic beer.

With its beers produced on-premises in the 500-litre brew house, Cubby Haus features a bar and play area for the little tykes. Afternoon solved!

8. Red Duck Brewery
This small and passionate micro-brewery has a tradition of being at the forefront of craft beer innovation.

Always striving to produce the highest-quality and most enjoyable beers, Red Duck is known for exploring the history of forgotten styles and tastes – inventing new brewing techniques or re-invent long forgotten ones.

They’re all about all-natural, unfiltered, traditionally-brewed brews. You’ll be able to taste the difference.

Just this year, they also launched a new spirit range, including four gins and a premium vodka distilled using native lilly pillies and finger limes.

We also hear the production of rum and whisky is next for the team at Red Duck.

9. Bankhouse Brewery
Located on the side of the main thoroughfare through Dean, this microbrewery and cellar door – which has been converted from an old bank house – might just be Australia’s smallest brewery.

But as they say; good things come in small packages.

We also love the fact the Bankhouse Brewery team experiment with locally-grown AC Hops.

10. Kilderkin Distillery
Ballarat has a long and storied history when it comes to distilling spirits, tracing back to 1864 with Warrenheip Distillery, the only whisky distillery in Victoria for many decades.  

Now over 150 years later, the tradition lives on in Ballarat’s newest distillery, Kilderkin. 

With a focus on the very best premium gin and whisky, Kilderkin’s most popular ranges include the Scoundrel (London Dry Gin) and their Original (an Australian Gin that uses a range of carefully selected native botanicals). 

COMING SOON: A major redevelopment of the heritage-listed goods shed adjacent to the Ballarat Railway Station will soon open, with a brewery and gin distillery set to call newly-named The Goods Shed home.

PYRENEES WINE REGION

Make Ballarat your base and hit the quiet country roads of the Pyrenees Wine Region. It’s arguably one of Victoria’s best kept secrets and it’s only a 50-minute drive from Ballarat. 

Home of award-winning wines, you’ll discover unspoilt landscapes and stunning views around every corner.

And when you stop to taste a drop or two, there’s a good chance you’ll be talking to the winemaker in person. 

It’s cool climate means you’ll find a wealth of wine varieties here, something that has become a popular drawcard for weekend wine lovers.