LOCATION
The restaurant at the De Bortoli winery is less than an hour from Melbourne along the Melba Highway arm of the Yarra Valley.
PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA
The restaurant at the De Bortoli winery, less than an hour from Melbourne along the Melba Highway arm of the Yarra Valley, is well worth the drive. The restaurant, refurbished in October 2008, is a handsome and spacious room, with restrained decor, carpeted floors, upholstered chairs and great views of vine-covered slopes. Although modestly elegant, it has the air of a serious restaurant where you can make yourself comfortable and get on with the business of eating and drinking with friends.
Chef Tim Keenan (previously of River Cafe in London and Grossi Florentino) writes the menu daily, and although there are not major changes every day, any small adjustments enable him to make best use of seasonal ingredients. In the Italian style, there are antipasti, primi and secondi, with additional vegetables and salads, and brilliant desserts. It’s a brave appetite that can manage the lot. Highlights are an entree of buffalo mozzarella with house-dried tomatoes and white anchovies, and the orange creamy pumpkin risotto with crisp shreds of pancetta. Rabbit, lamb and beef dishes come highly recommended, but if it becomes too hard to choose, take the chef’s selection. The wine list consists mainly of De Bortoli wines, which provide a considerable and excellent range, with a few outsiders that have comments by chief winemaker Steve Webber. This restaurant gets further bonus points for the cheese room in the cellar door, and for Keenan’s occasional cooking classes.
Rita Erlich, November 2008
A Family Tradition
De Bortoli Wines Pty Ltd was established in 1928, four years after the founder, Vittorio De Bortoli and his wife Giuseppina migrated to Australia from Northern Italy. He settled within the Riverina area in country NSW and established one of Australia's largest family owned wine companies.
For more than 75 years the family tradition of sharing good wine, good food and good times with family and friends remains unchanged.
Third generation, Leanne De Bortoli and her husband Steve Webber (also the head wine maker), manage the Yarra Valley winery and restaurant, home to some of the oldest grape vines in the Valley. This opened the opportunity to produce high quality cool climate wine from the Yarra Valley.
Located only one hour from Melbourne, De Bortoli Winery and Restaurant is well renowned and has gone from strength to strength winning numerous international and national awards.
Facilities and services offered on site:
- Winery Tastings
- Cheese Shop and Tastings (including wine and cheese matching)
- Italian style restaurant catering up to 110 guests
- Saturday Wine Adventure (first Saturday of every month)
- Home delivery of wine in Japan, Great Britain and Europe
- Ample car and bus parking
- Landscaped gardens with BBQ, picnic facilities and children's playground
For information on De Bortoli Wines and any celebrations visit www.debortoli.com.au
Personal Statement
NewsWhat better way to enjoy cool climate Yarra Valley wines than with matured Australian cheese from our cheese maker, Richard Thomas. Richard is a well known and highly respected cheese maker with over 30 years of experience in the industry. He will host cheese and wine matching as well as cheese education classes within our newly refurbished Cellar Door.