Since having kids, Mr. Spittoon and I definitely don’t have as many wine getaways as we used to. However now the kids are a bit older (3 and 5) we decided to splash out on a couple of nights away in the Mornington Peninsula to celebrate our 9th wedding anniversary.
I already knew Crittenden Wines produced some of Mornington Peninsula’s best wines, having consumed their wines on numerous occasions – but I was yet to visit the cellar door. And once I learned they had villas on the property over a lake surrounded by vines, I was sold!
Plus it was easy to convince the hubby and kids when I told them that yes you can fish off the deck at Crittenden’s Lakeside Villas. The caveat as they say on the Lakeside Villas website is that you have to throw anything you catch back. Deal!
So let’s jump into our getaway at Crittenden Wines:
The Cellar Door
Crittenden Wines was established in 1982 by Gary and Margaret and is a family owned and run vineyard. Today, Gary has semi-retired and sadly Margaret passed away in 2020. Their son Rollo and daughter Zoe have taken over now at the helm of the family vineyard and together with their team they have created a wine-lovers haven on the Peninsula.
We booked our wine tasting at the Crittenden Wine Centre online before we arrived – we planned for later in the day so we could then park up at the villa and walk across.
Crittenden are open 7-days a week from 10.30am to 4.30pm, except Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Good Friday.
From the villa, the wine centre is literally a hop, skip and a jump, taking all of a minute. I don’t know if you can get accommodation closer to a Mornington Peninsula winery than that!
We were warmly greeted on arrival by Andrew and Evan and shown to a table for a seated tasting. Considering we had kids with us, they were very patient and even brought out some colouring pencils and pictures of the winery dogs for the kids to colour in, which was super lovely.
The cellar door is light and cosy + they have a lovely little courtyard that I expect you could sit out in during the warmer months.
Crittenden have an extensive tasting list – in fact they have around 27 different wines you can typically try. From their classic estate wines to their Italian and Spanish varieties and styles to their single vineyard Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and flor-aged wines. There is literally something for everyone!
We tried a little bit of everything during our tasting, I particularly was keen on trying some of the cellar-door only wines which I had only read about previous to our visit. And wow! Totally blown away and we left with a delicious mixed case of our favourites.
If you’re popping by the cellar door, make sure to try the amazing Cri de Coeur (Cry of the Heart) Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and also the flor-aged Savagnin and Macvin – truly sensational. I’ll be adding my tasting notes as I sip through our case, so make sure to bookmark this post 😉
Here’s a quick overview on the grape varieties and styles you might taste at the cellar door:
- Gros Manseng (made in a spritzy style white)
- Prosecco
- Sparkling Cuvee
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Pinot Gris & Pinot Grigio
- Garnacha Blanca
- Chardonnay
- Rose (made from Nero d’Avola and one made from Shiraz)
- Pinot Noir
- Sangiovese
- Tempranillo
- Shiraz
- Garnacha,Mataro & Tempranillo blend
- Savagnin
- Moscato
Crittenden Restaurant
We were a few weeks too early, as the new Crittenden Restaurant was yet to open when we visited. However from what we saw and have heard – it is going to be an amazing lunch and dinner on the Mornington Peninsula!
The restaurant will be open from the 31st of October 2025 – and you can book online here.
It is definitely a good excuse to go back I feel! Check out the sample menu below:
The Villas
There are three free-standing villas that sit over the lake – so as you can imagine, it’s absolutely stunning. Even when it was raining! We got some pretty dreary spring weather when we visited, but it was still stunning and serene (especially once the kids were asleep!).
Each villa is a self-contained one-bed house essentially. Nice and large and they can fit either 3 adults (1 on a sofa bed) or 2 adults and 2 kids.
There is a full kitchen with everything you may need from a pod coffee machine to microwave oven, dishwasher, fridge/freezer, stovetop and of course wine glasses! My only downfall with the villas is the glassware – and yes I know, I am a complete wine glass snob however some nice Riedel or Plumm glasses would have been the cherry on top.
We had a breakfast basket included which comprised of milk, juice, eggs, bacon, tomatoes, museli and condiments. Plus because we had a 2-night stay there was also a bottle of chilled bubbles on arrival and we had a free wine tasting at the cellar door included (more about that below).
I believe the above perks are only if you book direct via their website!
My favourite features of the villa:
- The Locals Guide – which you are sent before you check in + there is a copy in the villa, we came across so many gems on our visit because of this!
- One of these was highlighting Torello Farm which is just around the corner and it has so many delicious options if you choose to stay in and cook
- The deck over the lake – it would be a beautiful spot in summer for afternoon drinks or breakfast cooked up on the weber bbq
- The authentic wood fire with plenty of wood – as the weather was a bit iffy, we utilised this both nights!
- The bath – double massaging jets and funky disco lighting! Plus if bathing in the day you’d be able to see the lake from it.
- The underfloor heating in the bathroom – this was an extremely pleasant surprise the first morning (I believe this is only turned on during the cooler months)
- Washer and dryer – normally if it was just us, we’d not utilise this, but having small kids, it was a pleasant surprise to have these at our fingertips!
- King size bed – need I say more, absolutely lush
- Games – I love a good board game and we forgot to take our much loved Five Crowns with us, so having games there was great
The kids favourite part was definitely the fishing! Our only catch was an eel – which thankfully got off the hook before we had to deal with it.
Plus there is also a mini bar if cravings hit!
Would we go back? Most definitely! In fact we need to go back and try the new restaurant of course.
Do yourself a favour and book in for a night or a few nights of pure wine indulgence.
