Your access to Australia’s best wine and food experiences
September 2008
The VisitVineyards.com membership program launches this week and will enable wine and food explorers to take their regional travel to a whole new level. As Australia’s most comprehensive guide to regional wine, food and travel, VisitVineyards.com has focused on Victoria’s iconic Mornington Peninsula for the first phase of its membership program.
For an introductory price of A$49, the annual membership program has been carefully developed to cater to the needs of today’s food and wine traveller, providing them with unique, behind-the-scenes experiences and inside views of a diverse range of food, wine and related lifestyle travel providers.
Founder and CEO of VisitVineyards.com Robyn Lewis says “Our membership program is about offering people exclusive, memorable experiences they can’t access during a standard regional visit. We connect them directly with producers – some well known and others ‘hidden gems’ – so they can uncover the colour, flavour and secrets of each place they’re visiting.”
The Mornington Peninsula has overwhelmingly supported this program with more than 70 businesses already involved, from wineries, breweries, restaurants and food producers, to art galleries, spas and accommodation providers.
Food and wine experiences available exclusively to VisitVineyards.com Members include:
- Wine flights of chardonnay or pinot noir with lunch or dinner at Montalto Vineyard and Olive Grove
- Behind-the-scenes tours of the winery and cellar door by the winemakers at Stonier Wines
- Priority booking, including a special VisitVineyards.com discount, for Paradigm Hill’s ‘A springtime celebration of new wine releases’ event at held at Vines of Red Hill in November
- Sampling of beer, bread and olives produced on site at Hickinbotham of Dromana
- Tastings and take-away treats from the award-winning Mornington Peninsula Chocolates
Exclusive accommodation and leisure offers for VisitVineyards.com members include:
- A local wine, cheese and bread platter on arrival at Easton Grey Luxury Bed & Breakfast
- Access to the thermal pools with any spa treatment at Peninsula Hot Springs
VisitVineyards.com members will also receive the latest news from the ‘inside’ via exclusive access to product reviews, news and recommendations by industry experts, such as renowned restaurant and food reviewer John Lethlean and wine writers Jane Faulkner and Jim Chatto. Members can also share their experiences and form their own food and wine networks via the VisitVineyards.com community forum.
Opened in June 2008, VisitVineyards.com has brought together wine, food and travel providers across every Australian region and is connecting them to a large and growing number of subscribers. The site now has an advanced search feature which enables visitors to select exactly what they want from more than 30,000 listings of wine, food and related lifestyle travel experiences in every Australian wine and food region, so they can tailor their own itineraries and be assured they will enjoy the best experiences on their travels.
--ends—
For images and further information or to arrange an interview with Robyn Lewis please contact Belinda Phillips, Dig Marketing Group on 03 8606 3700 or belinda@digmarketing.com.au
Our Recommendations
To see our recommendations, ratings and reviews you must be a logged-in subscriber.
To subscribe please enter your email address in the "Subscribe Now - it's Free" box on the right and click the "Join" button, or fill in this form >
Media information page read more
As a VisitVineyards.com subscriber, you can get A Guide to Australian and New Zealand Olive Oils for the special price of just $10.50 plus postage. This guide will demystify the ever growing world of olive oils and give you some tasty recipes as well. And at this 
Consider yourself Tasmanian? Does this island state hold a special place in your heart? Or considering a visit? Wherever you are, just let us know your thoughts and you'll receive a stunning issue of Tasmania 40 Degrees South the journal that 
Tasmania's Table is a fabulous new book which showcases the best of the island state's fine food, drink and restaurants, with introduction by Tetsuya Wakuda. VisitVineyards.com subscribers can 
Le Figaro calls her "the undisputed mistress of the kingdom of wine". Get an an immediate A$40 discount on Jancis's exclusive Purple Pages. Or save A$60 - become a member of JancisRobinson.com and 
All VisitVineyards.com and Winepros.com.au subscribers and Members receive a 12.5% discount when you purchase via our book partners Seekbooks. Simply 
MEMBER BENEFIT: Experience a Mornington Peninsula Pinot Tour like no other and as a Member 
MEMBER BENEFIT: A complimentary third bottle for every two bottles purchased and complimentary freight are only two of the wonderful reasons to visit the internationally awarded, Jimmy Watson winning Shingleback Wine 
MEMBER BENEFIT: Discover a true hidden gem and only five minutes drive from Melbourne Airport with award winning wines and divine woodfire pizzas, along with some 
Subscribers, if you'd like to get up close and personal with some of Tasmania's finest cool climate wines over four days and stay in style at Rosevears Vineyard Retreat, then enter now for your chance to 
Planning some overseas travel? Win this guided walking tour of Chianti in Tuscany with Gianni and you'll be sure to have an unforgettable Italian experience full of warmth, character and of course, fine wine and food. Enter now and you could be adding a 
Sip on award-winning Mudgee wines from Robert Stein, discover the best way to match your Wine and Food with Kate Lamont, find the best in the west with Ray Jordan's 2010 WA Wine Guide or get get the good oil with A Guide to Australian and NZ Olive Oils. Enter now and you could 
Celebrate the beginning of vintage in the Tamar Valley in Tasmania and the North East Valleys of Victoria with fabulous wine from Rosevears Estate and Brown Brothers. Head south for a sumptuous feast in Tasmania's Table, west to discover the best food in Perth, or delight in luscious Sunny Ridge Strawberries from the Mornington Peninsula. This month's prizes cover the country and represent the best of their regions. Enter now for your chance to 
Tell us your favourite Australian wine or food experience and you could win a copy of the new edition of Australian Traveller featuring their Top 100 list of the Greatest Australian Gourmet Experiences. Enter before 
Will you be sipping on fine Delatite or Angullong wines? Cooking with the Tuscan Mammas or making a V/Line for Queen at Ballarat? Find out if you were one of our lucky Subscribers or Members to win one of our great prizes in February: 