Yarra Valley food & produce
The Yarra Valley is as much a food destination as a wine one. Between the cellar doors you'll find an acclaimed gin distillery, a chocolate factory, artisan cheese makers and pick-your-own farms — a whole day of grazing beyond the vines. Here are the producers worth building a trip around.
Four Pillars Gin & the Chocolaterie
Two of the valley's biggest drawcards aren't wineries at all. Four Pillars Gin in Healesville — one of the world's most awarded distilleries — pours gin flights and G&Ts in its buzzy garden bar, with tastings and masterclasses on offer. And the Yarra Valley Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery at Yarra Glen draws crowds with its free tastings, handmade chocolates and gelato (free entry, open daily). Together they're a perfect non-wine pairing for a Yarra day.
Dairy, berries & providores
For the full food bowl, add the Yarra Valley Dairy, where you can taste and buy artisan cheeses and graze a platter (open daily). In summer, pick-your-own farms like Rayner's Orchard (100-plus fruit varieties, with tractor tours) and Blue Hills (berries and cherries) are a hands-on treat, and roadside farm gates and providores sell honey, cider, olives and smallgoods across the region. It's produce-tourism at its most relaxed.
From farm gate to hatted table
All that produce lands on some excellent plates. The valley's restaurants — several of them hatted in the Good Food Guide, including TarraWarra Estate, Levantine Hill and Re'em — cook with the region's cheese, fruit, meat and, of course, wine. Whether it's a long winery lunch or a casual cheese-and-charcuterie board, the Yarra Valley makes eating local effortless. See our where to eat guide for the full list.
Food & produce: your questions
Yes — the Yarra Valley Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery (at Yarra Glen) has free entry and free tastings, open daily from 9am to 5pm. You can watch chocolate being made, sample the wall of tastings, and enjoy handmade chocolates, gelato and a café. It's one of the valley's most popular (and family-friendly) stops, so expect it to be busy on weekends and holidays.
Yes — Four Pillars, one of Australia's most awarded distilleries, has its home distillery in Healesville, open daily for tastings and its garden bar. You can do a guided gin flight or five-gin tasting (around $50), a masterclass, or just settle into Jude's Gin Garden with a G&T and a bite. It's a Yarra Valley highlight in its own right, and a great non-wine addition to a day of tastings.
Beyond wine and gin, the valley is a genuine food bowl: artisan cheese at the Yarra Valley Dairy, handmade chocolate and gelato at the Chocolaterie, berries and stone fruit at pick-your-own farms (like Rayner's Orchard and Blue Hills), plus honey, cider, olives, jams and smallgoods at farm gates and providores across the region. Grazing your way around it is half the fun.
A couple of farms offer seasonal pick-your-own: Rayner's Orchard at Woori Yallock grows more than 100 fruit varieties and runs tractor orchard tours, and Blue Hills Berries & Cherries at Silvan offers pick-your-own berries and cherries in summer. Seasons vary (stone fruit and berries peak in summer), so check what's ripe before you go. It's a lovely, hands-on family activity.
Yes — and unlike Queensland, Victoria is covered by the prestigious Good Food Guide. Its 2026 hatted Yarra Valley venues include TarraWarra Estate, Levantine Hill and Re'em (at Helen & Joey Estate). Several other winery restaurants — Oakridge, Stones of the Yarra Valley, Locale at De Bortoli — dine superbly too. See our where to eat guide.