Wine Tasting at Merricks Creek Winery
One of the great Aussie pleasures (or anywhere) is to indulge in a wine tasting at a top notch cellar door. Merricks Creek Winery in the stunning Mornington Peninsula is only an hour from Melbourne and the perfect place to go for your wine tasting session. The World Loves Melbourne finds wine tasting to be one our most loved relaxing activities.
So what do you expect when you visit Merricks Creek? We like to engage at Cellar Door, not just taste the wines. It's always brilliant when you get the actual winemakers at cellar door. It adds another dimension. Obviously they talk about their wines as an authority and as a labour of love. At Merricks Creek you will find Dr Peter Parker and his son Sam; both winemakers who produce the top notch Pinot Noir from close planted vines.
Sometimes you feel at cellar doors the staff at some wineries find it a chore to engage customers. Sometimes staff at cellar door's don't know much about the wine and certainly little about the winemaking process (there are exceptions). They can be great sales staff but their knowlege is found wanting. To be able to talk with the actual winemakers you can get the back story and the philosophy behind the winemaking.
At Merricks Creek the unbouded passion of Peter and Sam Parker shines through. Peter is a clinical psychologist by day, and is an articulate and warm personality, and extremely knowledgeable about wine and winemaking. He often takes visitors through a few of the vintages of Pinot Noir and ask you if you can tell the differences between vintages. Check out the close planted Pinot Noir and it's distinctive flavour.
Each vintage of Pinot Noir has it's own characteristics - all amazing - but all so unique. It's not like the wine tastes the same at every vintage. And of course don't forget the Estate Chardonnay; a top notch wine. Peter Parker can also tell you about his winemaking processes, including the use of French winemaking techniques. The terroir of Merricks Creek is exceptional, and with French winemaking techniques, Peter and Sam Parker produce elegant sophisticated wines. For the price point of around $50 these wines are great value. Merricks Creek is a small batch producer, so it's a bespoke experience and certainly a labour of love!
Barrel tasting fun with Dr Peter Parker; an exceptional experience for groups of friends, and corporates on a team building exercise, for example.
Barrel tasting is a popular activity for groups and is by arrangement. Peter Parker takes groups to the barrel shed for tasting and gives a talk on winemaking and viticulture processes and some of the history of Merricks Creek. Barrel tastings are compelling and give a great understanding and appreciation for Merricks Creek Wines.
Give your self some time at Merricks Creek Winery. After a wine tasting, sit down and relax at one of the tables and enjoy a casual meal. Shared plates are the way to go with simple dishes involving fresh seasonal ingredients. These dishes are affordable and designed for relaxation and connection.