Armed with a tank full of petrol and a hankering for exceptional food and wine, K and I hit the Mornington Peninsula yesterday. This ridiculously picturesque corner of the globe has some of the best eating and drinking to be found anywhere, making it the perfect day trip from Melbourne – our splendiferous new home.

Melbourne, I hear you say?

Didn’t you leave Victoria just over a year ago with the intention of settling in Brisbane? And hasn’t The Dressed Fork been MIA since January? What’s the deal, Chenille?

Life is the deal, friends. The sort of life that invariably occurs when you least expect it, throwing a series of expertly-aimed curve balls your way. Our year back in Brisbane was… difficult. Oh alright, it sucked. The sort of suckfulness you might expect from an especially dire extended holiday. 13 God-awful months of it. The city didn’t suck, you understand. Plain old crap luck did.

And so K and I made the difficult, expensive, and ultimately awesome decision to move back to Melbourne on February 1^st. We set the date in stone so we wouldn’t chicken out. The day-to-day practicalities of our new lives, however, were far less clear cut. Where would we live? Would our beloved pooch be able to live with us? And after 12 years of study and finally finishing my PhD (hoorah!), would anybody in the wider creative industries care to hire me?

Two months later, I’m delighted to report that K and I are resettled in Prahran in a gorgeous little apartment that is so airy and sunlit you literally need to wear sunglasses indoors. We’re flying our dog, Charlie Lavender, down to live with us, and I’m gainfully employed as a fashion copywriter.

Curve balls caught and prudently returned.

Happily, getting our lives in order has given rise to that quaintest of occurrences: leisure time. Best spent, in my humble opinion, on the glorious Mornington Peninsula. Here’s how to enjoy an idle day in the Mornington, hour by perfect hour:

10 a.m. – Coffee at Yabby Lake

Starting your day with a fortifying coffee at Yabby Lake is a savvy choice for a number of reasons. First off, they serve Market Lane coffee – a superb specialty roaster whose coffee is consistently rated among the best in Melbourne (and whose headquarters at the Prahran Markets are like my second home). Market Lane’s seasonal blend is reliably excellent – rich and balanced, whether you’re ordering a flat white (praise be!), or if you’re suitably evolved to have dispensed with milk altogether.

It doesn’t hurt, either, that Yabby Lake’s restaurant and cellar door is a triumph of blond-wooded Scandi design. Sit outdoors on the patio and soak up the quirky sculptures and cheering vineyard views, or head indoors to the comfy couch by the fireplace in winter.

And if you can stomach the thought of alcohol at this bracing hour, you could do worse than to meander through a wine tasting at Yabby Lake’s cellar door (visible on the far wall). Their chardonnays are good; their pinots even better. Plus, they make a mean Heathcote shiraz, which, like any Heathcote shiraz worth savouring, tastes like the lovechild of a dusty bramble patch and a leather tobacco pouch. Finally, be sure to ask staff if they’re sitting on any back vintages. I’ve scored some delectable aged drops this way for a very modest mark-up.

All in all, a most enjoyable start to the day.

11 a.m. – Wine tasting at Moorooduc Estate

When partaking in a wee drop of wine tourism, it’s perfectly acceptable to begin drinking at the otherwise unacceptable hour of 11 a.m. How else are you going to savour the best that the region has to offer? (In the city, on the other hand, crack open a bottle before midday and you’re officially a wino).

On the Mornington, there’s no better place to kick things off than my favourite winery on the Peninsula, Moorooduc Estate. What Moorooduc lacks in picturesque vineyard views or a sexy cellar door it makes up for in the sheer deliciousness of its wines.

Established in 1982 by doctor Richard McIntyre and his wife Jill, this winery focuses on the grape varieties that the Mornington does best – mouth-filling chardonnay and silky pinot noir. I’d advise you to taste everything on offer, from their estate wines through to their scrumptious single vineyards. Of which the McIntyre is the unabashed winner, year in, year out. The McIntyre chardonnay is buttery and rich without being overblown, while the superb McIntyre pinot takes velvety deliciousness to a whole new level… Be warned: you won’t escape without ordering a case.

12 p.m. – Cheese tasting at Main Ridge Dairy

It’s remarkable how boozy and high on life one can feel after a single wine tasting (though when you consider that the standard 30 ml pour can swiftly add up to half a bottle of wine, it’s perhaps not so remarkable after all).

The best way I know to soak up the inkling of a hangover is with a cheese tasting at the endearing Main Ridge Dairy. This delightful goat dairy produces a range of mouth-watering farmhouse cheeses, my favourite of which is the ashed-rind Capriole (though their marinated chevre comes in a close second). A small tasting plate of their cheeses with crackers – enough for two people to have a bite of each – costs a very reasonable $10.

Eat it outside on the lawn overlooking the goat paddock. The herd of friendly goats with strange yellow eyes and names such as ‘Spice’ and ‘Hegg’ will, if they feel so inclined, let you feed them tufts of grass.

A heartwarming experience and a great way to keep you going until lunch.

1 p.m. – Lunch at Petit Tracteur

Shockingly, Peninsula fine diner Ten Minutes By Tractor had a fire in their kitchen in February, causing them to close their restaurant until further notice. Thank God, then, that their more relaxed but equally lovely French bistro, Petit Tracteur, is still open for business. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner on weekends in an airy dining room with views out to the garden, Petit Tracteur is an excellent place to while away a couple of hours. The wine list here is first-class, and as you might expect serves a wide range of Ten Minute By Tractor wines.

Thank you, a glass of the 2014 Estate Pinot Noir would be splendid.

Food-wise, you’d do well to order the textbook salad nicoise or garlic snails, followed by one of K’s all-time favourite dishes, steak frites with béarnaise sauce. And you’d be a fool to leave without at least sharing a dessert, preferably the outstanding apple tarte tatin – a caramelised joy of a thing that puts most Aussie versions to shame. Then sit back and soak up the civilised surrounds.

Life, my friends. Pure, unadulterated life.

3 p.m. – Perv at Port Phillip Estate

I wouldn’t be much of a tour guide if I didn’t recommend you at least duck into the toilets of architectural stunner, Port Phillip Estate. With an enviable position overlooking sweeping vineyards and Westernport Bay, Port Phillip Estate is the place you come to gorge on both natural and manmade beauty. Once inside the stark rammed-earth walls, the splendour of the view unfurls – drawing you out onto the deck to ooh and ah.

In all honesty, you don’t come here for the wines (produced under the Quartier, Kooyong and Port Phillip Estate labels), which I find a little thin – though James Halliday and many others would disagree with me. Otherwise, I’d recommend you order a glass and retire to the deck…

Oh hell, you might as well do that anyway. The view is so uplifting that it’s totally worth it.

Another time, you may want to try out the award-winning restaurant or the more casual bar dining area. Both come with ringside seats to nature’s bounty. The toilets are rather nice, too.

4 p.m. Arvo tea at Merricks General Wine Store and wine tasting at Stonier

It’s 4 p.m. and frankly, you’re feeling a trifle weary. Which is why it’s a smart idea to stop at Merricks General Wine Store for a coffee and sweet treat. Built in 1922, this rustic store is awash with warm wood and natural light, and has a genuine sense of good-ol’ country hospitality. The brownies are downright delicious (for lunch, the wagyu burger is where it’s at). Warm up by the fire, or sit with your pooch on the heated deck. It’s all lovely.

So fortified, I’d advise you to stop in next door at Stonier Wines for your final tasting of the day. One of the Mornington Peninsula’s finest, Stonier produces excellent cool-climate chardonnay and pinot noir, along with a rather fine sparkling. Their cellar door is cosy, there’s a playground outside for the kiddiewinks, and best of all, their entry-level wines – around $25 a bottle – are arguably some of the best value drops in Victoria.

Stonier’s 2015 pinot noir was our house red until K and I tragically ran out a couple of months ago. When it comes to the 2016 vintage, don’t make the same mistake we did. Buy a case.

5 p.m. – Handmade chocolates with a view at Flinders

Though it’s a 15 minute drive away, you’ll never regret finishing your day with a decadent handmade chocolate overlooking the cliffs and beach at Flinders. Mornington Peninsula Chocolates, on the main street, closes on the dot at 5 p.m., so make sure you arrive a bit before to peruse their tantalising selection. My favourite flavours are the lime (milk chocolate ganache infused with a spritely amount of lime juice and zest), and the raspberry – a glossy marbled dome filled with luscious raspberry puree.

But I beg of you, don’t be one of those suckers who has already devoured their stash by the time they make it out the door. You want to save your spoils for those sublime windswept cliffs, a five minute’s walk away. Here, gazing out across the ocean at Phillip Island, surrounded by delightfully shy bunny rabbits with fluffy white tails and the odd red-bellied black snake (yes, really), you can finally savour your chocolates. Bliss.

And there you have it – my guide to 8 perfect hours on the Mornington Peninsula. Let me know in the comments if I’ve missed anything.

It’s great to be back friends! Until next week. 🙂

xo

Featured image via – visitmelbourne.com