Exciting Times at Montalto Wines on Mornington Peninsula
Montalto is a compelling winery destination on Mornington Peninsula. The World Loves Melbourne was invited along to sample the winter menu and check out the recent changes at Piazza Cafe.
Montalto has always been a favourite visit for The World Loves Melbourne. We enjoy the Piazza restaurant in the garden area, but in recent times a large indoor eatery has been established that impresses. This is an all weather venue to be enjoyed in every season. We visited on a winters' day and it was stunning with superb views and an attractive menu.
The wine here is also impressive with stylish cellar door adjacent. We were told by Luke in marketing that there are 6 vineyards in the area that produce the Montalto premium wines.
The menu is designed for sharing and consists of smaller and larger plates. We elected the "feed me" option from the kitchen. The olives came from the Montalto property and were combined with oil and bread for a tasty starter.
Second dish for the "feed me" was one of the smaller dishes, the Lamb chops; tasty lamb perfect with a squeeze of lemon. I would have liked to have sampled a few more of the smaller dishes but maybe for another time.
The main dish was the Confit duck legs, orange and juniper marmalade. The duck legs were cooked perfectly and the orange and juniper marmalade was a highlight without being overbearing (we understand it may soon be sold as a condiment).
Our meal also included a side of Chargrilled kale and broccolini, miso, and sunflower. This was a cheerful side with crisp fresh vegetables a delight.
A salad of Iceberg, radish, parsley and chardonnay dressing was refreshing.
The World Loves Melbourne spent some time in the kitchen and we imbibed a pizza (Montalto are famous for their pizzas); the Roast pork, garlic, stracciatella, pickled chilli and chives pizza. This pizza was a highlight; the dough a triumph and the gourmet topping featuring pork neck a revelation.
We enjoyed a tour of the cellar door precinct; with Montalto offering a large range of quality wines at their cellar door. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are the main game but there's some seriously good other varieties to enjoy such as Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio, Rose, Tempranillo and Shiraz for example.
A new development is the private function/tasting room area with sweeping views. We think this will be popular for bespoke events.
The iconic red Morris Minor cars apparently still drive well...
The new section of Piazza strikes a chord...
Montalto is also famous for its sculpture and you can walk the sculpture trail. We'd never done this before and it was a great experience. We were surprised by the length of the trail!
Montalto is a delightful winery destination on the Mornington Peninsula. Get on it!