Drink. EAST GIPPSLAND

Earn your refreshing ale with on-the-water pursuits, alpine country hiking, camping and fishing.

Many wineries of East Gippsland are clustered around the Gippsland Lakes, perfect for leisurely days spent exploring the towns of Bairnsdale, Metung and Lakes Entrance. Wineries and breweries are peppered along the Great Alpine Road, tucked into the gently sloping foothills and magnificent peaks. For those adventurous in spirit, towns along the way make the perfect base for hiking, camping, fishing and even rafting down the mighty Mitta Mitta. With all these physical pursuits, you’ll be in need of a cleansing ale. Go on, you’ve earned it.

Sarsfield Estate Vineyard & Winery+^

Nicholson River Winery

Tambo Wine

Red Bluff Brewers Bullant Brewery Sailors Grave Cellar Door WINERIES 1 5

Wyanga Park Winery

Ensay Winery

+ Open by appointment only

Start your journey at Lightfoot Wines' stylish cellar door. The tasting space connects beautifully with the region, using reclaimed timber from the old Calulu Bridge and Gippsland Lakes jetties. The exposed position on a limestone cliff creates both exceptional views and excellent conditions for producing fine wines, which can be enjoyed with a local tasting platter on the deck.

Sarsfield Estate Vineyard & Winery is popular with the locals, they don’t do tastings but you’ll find this wine on most local wine lists and it’s worth making an appointment to grab a few bottles for home.

At Nicholson River Winery, the wines reflect the unique character of the area while paying homage to a European style. There is an extensive range of wines to taste at the cellar door, complete with local cheese and antipasto platters which can be enjoyed in The Barrel Room restaurant overlooking the Nicholson River.

Just down the way is Tambo Wine. A long hunt and a lot of research brought owners Bill and Pam Williams to this very spot, their “warm site in a cool area,” allowing them to produce fine wines with a sense of place.

Red Bluff Brewers handcrafted ales are named for places of interest around the traps and you can pop by for a tasting in their retro-industrial fitted brewery.

Wyanga Park Winery is Gippsland’s oldest winery, where a range of award winning wines, including the famed frozen muscat, are served at the cellar door. The winery can be reached by road, or by Wyanga Park Winery Cruise, departing from Lakes Entrance.

Heading toward Bruthen, the land starts to open out to hilly countryside, passing through pockets of magnificent native bush. Vistas of this beautiful patch can be enjoyed from the expansive deck at Bullant Brewery whose beers are full flavoured, hop-forward and very easy to drink. Have a tasting paddle to sample the dozen or so beers made on-site and choose from an extensive food menu to match.

The scenery becomes more dramatic as you make your way up the Great Alpine Road. Call in at Ensay Winery ’s rammed earth cellar door to taste the shiraz, cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay and pinot noir, which are grown and made on the estate.

Further east, innovative Orbost-based craft brewers, Sailors Grave forage and gather natural, fresh ingredients from the ocean, rivers and farms of the region, to push the boundaries of beer with the likes of their Lemon Meringue Sour, Down She Gose with seaweed or Law of the Tongue oyster stout. You can savour their beer in their on-site cellar door, and in any Gippsland restaurant or bar worth their salt, of course!