Ultimate Winery Experiences Australia

Wine Meets Art

Wine and art, traditionally a refined and harmonious marriage.  Moorilla at MONA's Wine Meets Art Day Tour offers a modern perspective on the pairing and is a unique and wonderful extension to any holiday or minibreak in Hobart. 

The day begins on the 9.30am MONA ferry from Brooke Street Pier.  For a small additional fee you can upgrade to the 'Posh Pit', MONA's answer to first class travel, where you will be treated to free drinks and snacks, an exclusive lounge and private deck.  The ferry takes thirty minutes during which time all passengers are treated to a guided tour as they journey along the beautiful River Derwent.

Posh Pit 3

The effortlessly chic Posh Pit

Your tour includes free entry to MONA, a fascinating museum showcasing the diverse collection of its owner, Tasmanian gambler David Walsh.  The quirky collection ranges from ancient Egyptian funerary objects to modernist masterpieces and international contemporary art. You can lose yourself for hours exploring deep underground (the museum was built into the cliffs of the Berriedale Peninsula).  One of the many benefits of this underground setting are the lack of windows, allowing visitors to completely immerse themselves in a world that glides seamlessly from the eccentric, to the disturbing, the thought-provoking to the beautiful and everything in between.  Exhibitions change regularly and the permanent collection, 'Monanism', is constantly evolving.

After a thorough exploration of the museum, you will be invited to enjoy lunch at the Moorilla Wine Bar where you can watch the winemakers at work. Enjoy a charcuterie plate (or a seasonal vegetarian option) and fresh house-baked bread with a glass of wine from Moorilla’s Muse or Praxis Series.

Wine Bar

Moorilla's buzzing wine bar

Next you'll be escorted to your behind-the-scenes winery tour and wine tasting which starts in the vineyard. You'll learn how the diverse soil - ranging from four metres plus deep, silty clay, to risen siltstone bedrock on only a few centimetres of sand - affects the vine size, vigour and fruit composition as well as the timing of harvest.  During the winery tour you'll taste up to 10 wines, some straight from the tanks, while your guide explains the various old and new winemaking techniques utilised at Moorilla and how the processes have evolved.  Moorilla focuses on a small, very high-quality output. It uses gravity-flow to make boutique, ultra-premium wines from estate-grown fruit. You'll also see the bottling area and barrel room.

Winery Tour 4

David, one of the Moorilla tour guides, walks a group through the barrel room, also used for private functions

Your day concludes with the return ferry to Hobart.  No doubt feeling warm and fuzzy from your guided tasting, a glass of bubbles on the deck of the ferry is a fitting end to a day we promise you'll remember for years to come.  Click here to for more information and enquiries.

The harmony of wine and art is celebrated throughout the UWEA collection. At Leeuwin Estate Art Gallery you can view the unique collection of contemporary Australian artworks that feature on the labels of Leeuwin’s premium ‘Art Series’ range of wines, while the original Vasse Felix winery has been preserved as an Art Gallery where a seasonal program of exhibitions from the celebrated Holmes à Court Collection is shown. At Montalto, there are over 20 permanent sculptures sensitively sited throughout the grounds, monumental works sited in open spaces, through to more intimate pieces to discover amongst the wetlands and vines.