Macedon, Macedon, Macedon – we can’t get enough of the place. There is a certain magic that, in the right vintage and in the right winemaking hands, only Macedon, among all of Australia’s mighty wine regions, can bring to a Pinot Noir or classical Champagne-style sparkling wine. And even in the challenged vintages, Macedon is pretty much always among Australia’s best three regions to hunt for these wine styles. And yet despite this enviable stature, and even though it’s a mere hour from Melbourne’s CBD, the region is almost always free from the tourist hordes. In short, it is a Wine Hunter’s dream 
If you love Pinot Noir, Sparkling wine, Chardonnay, Riesling, or Pinot Gris, we strongly suggest you pay Macedon a visit asap. In addition to the world class wines, the region makes for such a relaxing day. When you do visit, based on some our own recent fieldwork, here are three wineries you cannot miss (to see full reviews of these and many more wineries, check out http://winehuntersworld.com/wineries)
Curly Flat has cemented itself as the benchmark for Macedon Pinot Noir, and indeed, it is one of Australia’s 10 best Pinot Noir producers overall. Discipline, discipline, relentless discipline and focus set Curly Flat apart from the pack. CF is committed to only producing what it believes it can do best – in this case Pinot Noir and Chardonnay (and just a dollop of Pinot Gris, which is extraordinary!) You won’t find much else at Curly Flat, and that’s a good thing. Of the Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays we have tried in the past year, Curly Flat’s cannot be beaten. If you love Pinot and/or Chardy, you simply cannot miss this stop. If you think you don’t like Pinot or Chardy, you REALLY cannot miss this stop 
The cellar door is a cute hacienda-style farm house building, and the tasting experience is intimate. If Jenny Kolkka (the owner) is about, see if you can do your tasting with her. She is electric with inspiring grit, determination, and pride. Curly Flat is the incredible story of Jenny’s dogged determination to build a dream, and boy did it pay in spades.
The cellar door is a cute hacienda-style farm house building, and the tasting experience is intimate. If Jenny Kolkka (the owner) is about, see if you can do your tasting with her. She is electric with inspiring grit, determination, and pride. Curly Flat is the incredible story of Jenny’s dogged determination to build a dream, and boy did it pay in spades.No tour of Macedon would be complete without a visit to the mighty Mount Towrong. The cellar door is Apocalypse Now meets Disneyland, and it works. It’s Macedon’s answer to Adelaide Hill’s eerie Bird In Hand Winery or the Barossa’s carnival-like Seppeltsfield in all the right ways. Sipping wines in an dimly lit terraced and open-air industrial structure that is covered in art and overlooking the beautiful vineyards of nature, well, it’s a very special experience and would warrant the trip all on its own. Of course, it doesn’t stop there. We wouldn’t recommend any place if it didn’t have ace wines. Mount Towrong specialises in Italian varietals and winemaking styles, and their expertise to this end makes for a refreshing addition to Macedon. Most recently, we adored their extraordinarily dense 2019 Fiano and their light but funky 2020 Sangiovese (who knew such a young wine could offer so much?). Don’t miss this stop. If you can, catch it on a moody autumn day, so much the better! (If you are reading this in a COVID-affected time, be sure to let them know in advance that it is a tasting you are after (whether in addition to food or by itself)).
Hesket Estate is an absolutely charming winery and cellar door that captures much of the best of what a “boutique winery” is all about. Such friendly & attentive staff, beautiful views of their pristine vineyard, and delicious, delicious handmade wines. For the overall Macedon experience, it is one of our very favourite wineries. All of the charm is there, and the wines are there in force as well. For two older examples, their 2015 Chardonnay and Pinot Noir were absolute showstoppers (clearly an ace vintage in Macedon). These wines sang with joy and practically punched their way out of their glasses with vivaciousness. In our most recent visit, we loved the deep and mysterious sparkling Blanc de Noir, the poignant 2018 Chardonnay, both the 2016 & 2018 Pinot Noirs, and their super smooth Heathcote Shiraz. That’s a lot of great wines in just a few short years! And we are pleased to report that as of Dec 2020, COVID has not killed (or even really affected) the tasting experience here – what you’d hope for in the best of a “boutique winery”. If you’re in Macedon, Hesket is a top 5 stop!
And finally, for one winery we sadly did not get to visit on our last trip to Macedon, we always encourage people to check out Hanging Rock Winery. Hanging Rock, more than any other winery, put Macedon on the wine map a few decades ago, and arguably, it really put Champagne-style sparkling wine on the radar for Australia overall. Definitely check them out.
Such incredible wineries in such a wonderful wine region are #WhyWeLoveWine
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