Add a wine tasting experience to your Victorian ski adventure

With the ski season already underway, powder hounds are planning their road trips to the Victorian ski resorts.

With some of Australia’s best wineries just a stone’s throw from Mt Hotham, Mt Buller and Falls Creek, a wine tasting side tip could well be on the cards, the team from Ultimate Winery Experiences recommends.

Here are two ideal side trips:

Prosecco Brunch at Brown Brothers

Stop in at Brown Brothers in Milawa, less than two hours from Mt Buller, Falls Creek and Mt Hotham, where you can chill out in your very own private Prosecco Lounge. Taste your way through the Brown Brothers’ Prosecco range (below) as you indulge in a gourmet spread of freshly baked sweets and pastries, local Milawa cheeses, house-made delicacies, terrines and seasonal fruits. Book your Prosecco Brunch here.

Address: 239 Milawa-Bobinawarrah Road, Milawa, Victoria



Pizzini Overnight Food and Wine Escape

Just half an hour from Brown Brothers, Pizzini Wines’ beautiful King Valley cellar door offers a northern Italian wine immersion with a tutored tasting and the chance to discover why Italian wine varietals shine with food as you savour an Italian-style grazing platter.

Continue on to the Pizzini-owned Mountain View Hotel nearby and then spend an afternoon taking in the local attractions, such as Powers Lookout and an abundance of breweries. In the evening, you’ll be treated to a four-course dinner with matched wines created by Joel Pizzini in the fine dining lounge of the hotel. Book your Pizzini Overnight Food and Wine Escape here.

Distance from Mt Buller: 90 minutes. Distance from Mt Hotham and Falls Creek: 2 hours 20 mins

Address: 175 King Valley Road, Whitfield, Victoria

How online tastings have become the new normal

Before the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020, online wine and food tastings were a virtually unknown concept. 

Over the past 18 months I've done dozens of Zoom tastings - offering the chance to chat with winemakers and chat with fellow communicators while tasting new releases without travel. 

It's not quite the same as checking out the vineyards and enjoying the wines in situ with local food. But it is certainly a good alternative. 

Rather than flying across the country for a tasting you save hours of time. 

And it is also true that virtual tutored tastings have become popular with wine drinkers and home cooks. 

With many employees in the corporate sector now choosing to work from home on a permanent or hybrid basis, virtual wine experiences have become a favoured activity for teams to re-connect and unwind in a relaxed online setting.

“Online wine tastings were the silver lining for Australian wineries during the pandemic and it's clear they're here to stay,” says Kate Shilling, executive officer of Ultimate Winery Experiences Australia.

“With Aussies unable to visit their favourite wineries, this allows the winery to meet them in their own homes, with virtual tastings becoming a popular way for businesses of all sizes to incentivise their employees and provide effective team bonding opportunities.”

Katrina Pizzini (above), from Pizzini Wines in Victoria's King Valley, runs wine tastings and Italian cooking classes via video conferencing and believes these types of virtual activities break up the mundane for corporate teams, allowing employees to learn a new skill, sample great wine and have some fun.

“We had never run any online wine tastings or cooking classes prior to the pandemic. In fact, the closest we came was conducting job interviews via Skype,” says Katrina.

“When the pandemic hit, it quickly became clear that there was a need for friends, families and colleagues to communicate and interact with each other in a meaningful, Covid-safe way.”

In addition to regular virtual wine tastings, Katrina runs online cooking classes through the Pizzini A tavola! cooking school, where she teaches the art of making the perfect pasta, gnocchi and risotto in real time.

“We have run cooking classes for groups that incorporate as few as six households, and up to 35 households at a time, with each one receiving an ingredients pack in the mail beforehand, including produce, essential utensils and Pizzini wine,” says Katrina.

“While we can't wait for visitors to fill our cellar door, we know that the convenience and cost-effectiveness of online winery experiences will remain a relevant part of our offering.”

Visit www.ultimatewineryexperiences.com.au