Daylesford and the Macedon Ranges are celebrated as being top notch cool-climate wine country. The region's lush volcanic soils do well to produce some of the best sparkling wines in Australia, not to mention high quality chardonnay, pinot noir and shiraz. Hanging Rock Winery is the largest in Macedon, earning a reputation as one of the best boutique wineries in the country.
Recently clocking up three decades of production, Hanging Rock Winery is the hard work of John and Ann Ellis. The fruits of their labour have paid off tenfold, with HRW churning out an extensive range of wines showcasing the flavours of Daylesford and its lush surrounds. The highly praised Macedon Brut Cuvee, Jim Jim Sauv Blanc and Heathcote Shiraz as well as an award-winning selection of reds and whites can be sampled at the Hanging Rock Winery cellar door, which is open seven days.
Just a one hour journey out of Melbourne and you can swirl, sniff and sip at the hillside tasting room, savouring the view of the iconic Hanging Rock as you do. If you've been lucky enough to scour the local markets and pack up the car with a delicious array of edibles, spread-out a chequered blanket on the picnic lawns in front of the cellar door and "cheers" with a glass of Macedon bubbly over your customised al fresco luncheon.
The name "Hanging Rock" itself might ring a bell. The region gains its name from the actual geological feature, which is widely known as the setting for the Joan Lindsay novel Picnic at Hanging Rock. Spurring a film of the same name, Picnic at Hanging Rock has become somewhat of a cult classic in Australian cinema and has firmly cemented the region's already grounded namesake in popular culture.
