Crittenden Estate

Uncover award-winning wines at a cellar door experience like no other at Crittenden Estate Wine Centre on the Mornington Peninsula . The cellar door staff listen and tailor wine tastings for the palate. Their recent hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed. As a result, Gourmet Traveler Wine Australia awarded Crittenden Estate with the best large cellar door 2021 on the Mornington Peninsula.

There is something for everyone! French, Italian and Spanish wine varieties make up the range.  The Winery produces wines for 5 ranges: The Estate range, Los Hermanos, Pinocchio, Geppetto, and lastly, the Oggi.

Garry Crittenden founded the Estate in 1982, planting his first five acres. At the time, it more than doubled the area under vine in the region. Crittenden Estate now farms 27 acres in Dromana and is proudly a family-run farm. With his children now running the day to day. Rolo the winemaking and daughter Zoe the marketing.

Crittenden Estate follows many sustainable practices. They have abandoned the use of chemicals in the vineyard. Instead, they have moved to a twelve-month composting program to maintain soil health.  In addition, they went on to pioneer a program of inter-row cover crops and soil cultivation. In 2018 they introduced bees to the property, thus substantially increasing the yields from their fruit trees. Further more, they installed solar panels to reduce energy costs. Lastly, they reclaimed water through Crittenden’s water treatment plant.

These sustainable practices have proven the winery as a platinum winner on an international level, taking the top spot in 2020 at the International Sustainable Winegrowing competition. Therefore Crittenden Estate wines were awarded the platinum medal. Consequently cementing its self a leading 5 star winery .

Wines

The range of wines include:

• Savagnin
• Chardonnay
• Pinot Noir
• Rose
• Pinot Gris
• Fume Blanc (Sauvignon Blanc style)
• Saludos
• Tempranillo
• Prosecco
• Pinot Grigio
• Moscato.
• Shiraz (Syrah)
• Sauvignon Blanc
• NV Brut

Cellar Door

The Cellar door is open 7 days a week. All tastings are seated, and subsequently offers a more relaxed feel.  This is tailored to the group, then comparisons are given on varieties.  For example: the Kangerong 2017 Chardonnay on the left and The Zumma 2016 chardonnay on the right. This is a fantastic introduction for anyone interested in testing what their palate may like.

The standard tasting is only $15. They have a recommended Standard Tasting which encompasses the broad range of styles we have on offer. Their staff will also discuss your wine preferences and can assist in selecting some styles you might enjoy. This tasting includes the option to try your choice of 6-8 available wines on tasting, excluding the Cri de Coeur range.  Allow 45 minutes.

Premium Tastings are geared towards those who wish to dive deeper into our premium single vineyard wines. These wines exemplify the pinnacle of their winemaking efforts and introduce you to their sustainable practices. The Premium Tasting includes all the standard tastings offer, along with the four Cri de Coeur wines. $35 per person, allow one hour.

The Private tasting room can be booked $45 per person. Impress your friends or take time out for you in our private tasting room and cellar. You can book the space for a one-on-one wine tutorial for up to ten people. This experience will provide you with the time to savour each wine and learn from our highly trained, knowledgeable wine staff. Bookings are available for $45 per person, seven days a week

Restaurant

Open since 2004, Stillwater has gained a reputation as one of the Peninsula’s finest restaurant’s, offering relaxed dining, indoors or out. A Gold Australian Tourism Award winner, Stillwater is continually recognised as a premium dining experience.

This is a lunch option on our  Mornington Peninsula Winery Tour