Wine, Food & Wide Open Country
A 3-day / 2-night itinerary for couples seeking premium food, wine, and unforgettable experiences in North East Victoria
GETTING THERE
Rutherglen is a three-hour drive from Melbourne via the Hume Freeway, an easy and scenic journey through the heart of regional Victoria. We recommend departing Friday morning to make the most of your first afternoon.
TAC Pause Stop: Break your journey in Benalla. Stretch your legs around the beautiful rose garden and check out the huge murals lining buildings across town, created by some of the country's biggest names.
From Benalla, it's approximately 90 minutes to Rutherglen.
Distance from Melbourne: 275km Estimated drive time: 3 hours Nearest major town: Wodonga (45 minutes)
Caffeine N Machine, Rutherglen
DAY 1: ARRIVE & IMMERSE
Midday: Arrive & Orient
Your first stop should be the Rutherglen Wine Experience & Visitor Information Centre on Main Street, a curated space in a beautiful old building, where the friendly team will arm you with maps and insider tips. Take a moment to browse the gift and produce centre before stepping out onto Main Street.
Spend your first hour simply walking. Rutherglen's gold rush-era heritage facades house some of the most interesting independent businesses in regional Victoria — boutique retailers, cafes and a sculpture trail worth exploring at a leisurely pace. Keep an eye out for the iconic wine bottle-shaped water tower, Rutherglen's most photographed landmark and a playful signal of the town's character.
Afternoon: Check In
Rutherglen offers exceptional accommodation across a range of styles – chose what suits you:
- Tuileries (4 Stars): The ultimate romantic escape. Beautifully appointed rooms nestled among the vines at De Bortoli Rutherglen Estate. Waking up here, with rows of Shiraz stretching to the horizon, is an experience in itself. (From $230 per night)
- The Victoria Hotel (4 Stars): With characteristic understated style, The Victoria’s 14 boutique suites offer all the appointments expected by the seasoned leisure or business traveller. (From $240 per night)
- Barkly Suites (3 Stars, self-contained): Stylish, fully self-contained apartments in the heart of town. Fully accessible, pet-friendly, and perfectly positioned for everything the weekend has to offer. (From $260 per night)
Late Afternoon: First Cellar Door
Once settled, make your way to Stanton & Killeen Wines, where mother-daughter duo, Wendy and Natasha Killeen (seventh generation) are putting a fresh spin on the Rutherglen wine scene. Don't leave without trying the Muscat. (Tasting fee: $10)
Evening: Dinner at Grace Bar and Eatery
Your first evening calls for somewhere special. Grace Bar and Eatery is a hatted restaurant as of 2026. Chef Matthieu Miller crafts menus that celebrate local produce with precision and quiet imagination. Think house-made sourdough and seasonal produce sourced from the region's finest growers. Co-owner Erica Miller (a finalist for Service Excellence at the 2026 Good Food Guide Awards ) runs front of house with warmth and flair. Don't leave without trying a signature spicy margarita. (Dinner from ~$60 - $100 per person. Bookings highly recommended)
Grace Bar + Eatery, Rutherglen
DAY 2: TWO WHEELS & OPEN SKIES
Morning: Breakfast
Start the day at one of Rutherglen's excellent breakfast spots:
- Caffeine N Machine — coffee and baked goods in a space filled with vintage motorcycles. A Rutherglen institution. (From $10)
- Valentine's — great sourdough and in-house coffee. (From $12)
- The Other Place — a relaxed, welcoming café with a menu worth lingering over. (From $18)
Mid-Morning: The Rutherglen Loops
This is the day's centrepiece — and arguably the weekend's highlight. Collect your e-bikes from Rutherglen E-Bike Hire (f$85 per bike for a day) and set out on the Rutherglen Loops, a network of leisure cycling trails connecting Rutherglen with the surrounding wine country and the village of Wahgunyah. Flat terrain, spectacular scenery, and — uniquely — the opportunity to visit cellar doors by bike.
Your cycling route takes you through:
- Scion Wine — a progressive, minimalist cellar door where winemaker Rowly Milhinch is boldly reinterpreting the region's traditional varietals. Try the Muscat Nouveau — fresh and vibrant where the classics are contemplative and deep. (Tasting fee: $15)
- Andrew Buller Wines — a boutique, family-run winery with genuine warmth and exceptional fortifieds.
- James & Co. Wines — contemporary winemaking with a focus on alternative varietals that rewards the adventurous palate. (Tasting fee: $15)
Between wineries, ride next to vineyards and make sure to pause at the Rutherglen Silo Art 'Birds of Seasons' — an intricate installation by regional mural artist Ronan Holdsworth, capturing Rutherglen through the lens of the region's rare seasonal birds.
Lunch: Lake Moodemere Estate
Your mid-ride reward. Lake Moodemere Estate occupies a magnificent spot high on the banks above Lake Moodemere, with a sprawling lawn surrounded by fruit trees. Wines here are made exclusively with estate grown fruit from their single vineyard and are certified Carbon Neutral. The dining experience includes produce from the estate’s own lamb, wheat, honey, citrus, vegetables & herbs. (Lunch ~$28 – $56 per person)
The ride back to Rutherglen is flat and easy. Return bikes, freshen up, and prepare for the evening.
Evening: Dinner at The Victoria Hotel
Tonight, settle into The Victoria Hotel's award-winning restaurant for dinner. Head Chef Brendan Anderson's menu — crowned Best Regional Pub Restaurant 2024 by the AHA Victoria — celebrates local produce cooked over open flame with quiet confidence. The beer garden is perfect in warmer months; in winter, a table beside the roaring fire is one of Rutherglen's great simple pleasures. (Dinner ~$38 - $55 per person)
All Saints Estate, Wahgunyah
DAY 3: SLOW MORNING, LONG LUNCH, FAREWELL Sunday
Morning: Breakfast & A Final Cellar Door
A slower start today. Breakfast at whichever spot you missed on Saturday, then one final cellar door before the road calls.
Jones Winery & Vineyard is the perfect Sunday morning destination — a historic 1860s barn, wines of exceptional quality, and an atmosphere of quiet, unhurried beauty. French-trained Chef Briony Bradford's seasonal lunch menu is the stuff of legend. (Wine tasting fee: $10)
Midday: Long Lunch
For your farewell lunch, try The Pickled Sisters — a Rutherglen institution beloved for its relaxed atmosphere, exceptional seasonal produce, and the kind of long, generous lunches that make you lose track of time entirely. (Lunch from $40 per person)
Afternoon: Farewell Rutherglen
Before hitting the Hume, back to the Rutherglen Wine Experience & Visitor Information Centre to stock up on regional gourmet provisions.
Distance back to Melbourne: 275km | Estimated drive time: 3 hours
HIGHLIGHTS AT A GLANCE
- Stanton & Killeen cellar door — where seventh-generation winemaking meets world-class Muscat
- Rutherglen Loops by e-bike — the most joyful way to discover wine country
- Grace Bar & Eatery — Rutherglen's hatted restaurant
- Dinner at The Victoria Hotel — open-flame cooking beside a roaring fire
- Lake Moodemere Estate — paddock-to-plate dining with the friendliest Labrador in Victoria
- Rutherglen Silo Art — four storeys of intricate regional storytelling
DARK SIDE OF WINE (August)
SEASONAL HIGHLIGHTS
Rutherglen rewards visitors in every season. Here's what to look forward to throughout the year:
Summer (December — February) Music on the Murray at St Leonards Vineyard — Held on the first Saturday of every month, this event offers live music on the banks of the Murray River, featuring local wine, food, and a relaxed atmosphere.
Autumn (March — May) Tastes of Rutherglen — Rutherglen's most beloved weekend returns each March, inviting visitors to explore the town's wineries, restaurants and producers through special menus, behind-the-scenes experiences and exclusive tastings. Autumn light filters through the vines, the air cools pleasantly, and every cellar door feels like it has something new to share.
Winter (June — August) DARK SIDE OF WINE — Rutherglen's most theatrical event transforms the town across ten immersive nights each August. By candlelight, by fire, by starlight: vignerons, chefs, performers and storytellers open the cellars and lift the veil on 160 years of tradition. Candlelit cask rooms, secret cinemas, and dining experiences reimagined beneath open skies. This is not a wine festival — it is something rarer entirely.
Spring (September — November) Opera in the Courtyard - An enchanted evening of fine dining and music at De Bortoli.
Things to do and places to stay
Rutherglen Loops
Rutherglen E-Bike Hire
Lake Moodemere Estate and Lakeside Restaurant
Rutherglen Wine Bottle
Rutherglen Silos
Rutherglen Visitor Information Centre
Rutherglen Loops – The Wine Loop
Stanton & Killeen
Jones Winery, Vineyard and Restaurant
Tuileries Accommodation at De Bortoli Rutherglen
The Victoria Hotel Rutherglen
The Other Place at Rutherglen
Caffeine N Machine
Rutherglen Loops – The River Loop
Grace. bar + eatery
Barkly Suites / Apartments Rutherglen
Valentines Artisan Sourdough Bakers
Andrew Buller Wines
Arts Rutherglen Sculpture Trail Walk
The Victoria Hotel Rutherglen
James and Co. Wines
Rutherglen Loops – The Town Loop
Rutherglen Loops – The Lake Loop
Can't Find It? Use Our Search
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Between Two Bridges Trail Walk
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The Little Kombi Company Wine Tours
Hideaway Studio Rutherglen
Murray to Mountains Rail Trail Walk – Rutherglen to Wahgunyah
Rutherglen Apex Park
Chase the Legendary Murray Cod
Jones Winery Restaurant
Rutherglen Wine Region
Roam Rutherglen Winery Walkabout
Grantham’s Bend
The Rutherglen Convent
Buller Wines Vineyard View Cabins
Rutherglen Reimagined at The Victoria Rutherglen
Harry’s On Moodemere
