Alpine Valleys wine region guide

Visit Victoria’s Alpine Valleys wine region for cool-climate wines with Italian influence. You’ll also find stunning scenery in any season, and a fantastic food scene.

This guide covers how to get to the Alpine Valleys, where to taste their wines, the region’s other attractions and more.

Where is the Alpine Valleys wine region?

The Alpine Valleys wine region is about three hours from Melbourne, in the Victorian Alps, also known as High Country. The area is made up of fertile valleys formed by the Ovens, Buffalo, Buckland and Kiewa rivers. These are nestled among some of the state’s highest mountains, part of the Australian Alps.

The region is located within the GI (Geographical Indication) of North East Victoria and bordered by the Beechworth wine region to the north and the King Valley to the west. Immediately north of those you’ll find the Rutherglen and Glenrowan regions, respectively. Though the Alpine Valleys region spans a larger area than its neighbours, it’s only sparsely dotted with small towns and wineries. The King Valley and Rutherglen have many more hectares of vineyards. Still, there are a handful of cellar doors in the Alpine Valleys that are worth a visit. This could be part of a High Country road trip full of hiking and food, or a larger tour of Victoria’s north-eastern wine regions.

Getting to the Alpine Valleys

This part of the state is a dream for road-tripping. The Great Alpine Road runs through the region, taking you via charming towns snuggled in the valleys, and up mountainsides to some of Victoria’s highest heights. If you have your own wheels, you can fully explore the area – including its stunning national parks.

From Melbourne, you can either travel through north-eastern Victoria via the Hume Freeway and get on the Great Alpine Road in Wangaratta. Or, go through Gippsland in the south-east, and then ascend from Bairnsdale. Return the same way you came or make your trip a big loop of eastern Victoria.

The town of Bright makes an ideal base, though you could also stay in nearby Porepunkah, slightly further afield in Myrtleford, or other small towns dotted around the area.

V/Line coach services run to Myrtleford, Porepunkah and Bright. With several of the cellar doors being centrally located within these towns, you could visit the area and enjoy a wine- and food-centric trip (surrounded by beautiful scenery) without a car. Bike hire services are plentiful and there are flat trails between towns so you can pedal your way around the region once you arrive.

History of the Alpine Valleys wine region

Aboriginal people have travelled to the region for at least 20,000 years, gathering in the mountains to meet and eat the bogong moths that migrate south from Queensland each summer.

The region’s first vines were planted in 1856, as migrants settled in the area following the discovery of gold. In exploring the region, you’ll see many references to a history of gold mining (as well as timber and tourism industries). Later, the focus turned to agriculture, particularly tobacco, which drew a lot of Italian migrants, whose cultural influence remains today.

One of these tobacco farming families, the Michelinis of Myrtleford, became pioneering grapegrowers in the region, establishing vines in 1982. Their patriarch recognised the similarity in the climate to his home of Trentino in Italy, and decided to grow cool-climate Italian grapes. It wasn’t until the late 1990s that the Michelinis built their winery and produced their own wines. 

The Alpine Valleys became a GI (Geographical Indication) of Australia in 1999, a few years after Aussie regions started becoming protected.

Now, there are 260 hectares of vineyards and a handful of winemakers operating in the area, making a surprising array of varietals. But with the region better known for its year-round outdoor attractions, Alpine Valleys wines remain a bit of a local secret.

What kinds of wine are the Alpine Valleys known for?

The Alpine Valleys have a continental climate, ideal for grapes from the colder parts of the old world (such as northern Italy). Yet despite the elevated and mountainous location, this is not the coolest wine region on the Australian mainland – that title goes to Victoria’s Macedon Ranges. But the valleys have a variety of microclimates, with warmer areas on the valley floors and colder, more exposed spots up on the slopes. There are warm days and cool nights in summer, and the chance of snow in winter. High rainfall and fertile soils formed on river deposits create good grape-growing conditions.

Though the 260 hectares under vine represent a mere 1% of Victoria’s vineyards, at least 30 varieties of grapes are grown. Alongside grapes traditionally grown throughout Australia (like cabernet sauvignon, shiraz, chardonnay and merlot), there are many alternatives to be found – particularly Italian grapes. 

Wineries to visit in the Alpine Valleys wine region

There are just a handful of cellar doors open to visitors in the Alpine Valleys, and conveniently, several are located right in towns so you can reach them without a car.

• Billy Button Wines is located in the centre of Bright. They have dozens of wines available for tasting (with no fee) – including lots of Italian varietals you might not have heard of. Turns out pecorino is not only a cheese! Their small bar (spilling onto the street) is a popular spot to enjoy wines by the glass and cheese boards. Or you can pop in to pick your own provisions to take home.
• Ringer Reef Winery in Porepunkah is easy to cycle or walk to on the Rail Trail. You’ll have to puff uphill on their driveway, but then can glide back down and along the flat trails home. Sample their range in the cellar door or choose your own wine flight with three or four small glasses to enjoy on the deck. Light bites are available, and they welcome picnicking on their lawn too – lay out your blanket overlooking the vineyards and leafy valley.
• Michelini Wines has a distinctive Tuscan-style building on the main road in Myrtleford. Specialising in Italian varietals, like marzemino and teroldego from Trentino, they offer wine tastings for $10 (redeemable on the purchase of a bottle) as well as antipasto platters to enjoy with a glass on the leafy patio or inside by the fire.
• Gapsted Wines is a little further out, located 6km north of Myrtleford (it’s still possible to bike there along the Rail Trail). Sample the wines for $5 per person or book in for lunch at their restaurant, where you can order à la carte or indulge in a seasonal tasting menu with matched wines.

More wines to find

There are several more wineries in the region that don’t have cellar doors.

Other labels to look out for in local eateries and bottle shops include Mayford and Anderson & Marsh. Fun fact: these are both led by women winemakers, as is Billy Button (in fact, it’s two women behind all three brands)!

When to visit the Alpine Valleys

This is a part of Australia that truly experiences four seasons – and it offers great outdoor experiences at all times of year.

Autumn in the Alpine Valleys is a beautiful time of year, with Bright and surrounds known for spectacular displays of colour-changing leaves. Local produce like chestnuts and apples are everywhere at roadside stalls. In late April, you might catch the Bright Autumn Festival and Wandiligong Nut Festival.

In winter you can enjoy snow-dusted peaks and even go skiing at Hotham – snow chains are required if you’re driving that far up the Great Alpine Road. But at the lower elevations of Bright and surrounds, access is easier and you could enjoy a cosy stay with many a fireside wine.

Visit in spring or summer for pleasant weather, when outdoor pursuits reign. School holidays and long weekends are busy times, though, so book well in advance if you need to travel then. Or go in off-peak times to avoid the crowds.

How long to stay in the Alpine Valleys

Given the travel time (unless you are lucky enough to live nearby) and the array of outdoor attractions in the area, I’d recommend visiting for at least two or three nights. Work up an appetite with a morning of hiking or cycling before hitting up a winery or two in the afternoon. Honestly, you could stay several nights in Bright and pop into Billy Button on the daily to taste your way through their extensive list!

If you’d like time to explore the national parks, then you can easily fill a few days. I spent four nights in Bright last autumn which was perfect for getting a taste of the region (with a bit of downtime, too).

Where to stay in the Alpine Valleys

Bright is the main town in the area and makes a great base. It’s compact enough that you can walk everywhere in the town centre, and bustling enough to have a range of cafe, restaurant and bar options plus supermarkets and all your other necessities.

The valleys have every kind of accommodation you’d expect in small country towns. There’s an abundance of affordable options like campgrounds, caravan parks, cabins and motels. At the higher end, options are luxe cottages, guesthouses and apartments.

Other things to do in the Alpine Valleys

The main attraction here is – surprise surprise – mountains! It is in the Australian Alps, after all. 

The area is all about outdoor activities. You can visit Mount Buffalo National Park for a range of hiking options, rockclimbing, abseiling and even caving. And depending on the season, you could ski (after ascending the Great Alpine Road to Hotham) or enjoy water sports on the rivers. 

The winding mountain roads are popular with serious cyclists, while riding on the rail trail is a fun and easy activity even for the less adventurous. There are several bike hire shops with everything from mountain bikes to cruisers and e-bikes.

Food is another big focus. Enjoy local produce like apples, chestnuts and walnuts straight from the farm. Nightingale Bros Alpine Produce (10 minutes away from Bright) is a must-visit for jams, ciders and an array of apples. There’s also a good range of restaurants, cafes and bakeries to try.

Finally, this picturesque area is a photographer’s delight, so keep your camera at the ready.

Plan your wine trip!

Looking for more areas to explore? We’ve got you covered. Explore Victorian wine regions.