Narkoojee Winery

Narkojee makes a great case for coming for lunch and staying until sundown.

On-site Narkoojee Restaurant is a bright and handsome space that stretches out to a deck in warm weather. The winery works with the Jindivick Sculpture Show, so art dots the lawn skirting the cellar door. Beyond is the vineyard, shawled by the silhouette of the Strzelecki Ranges.

As the day creeps to night, the restaurant and vineyard are cast in an entrancing golden glow. Sheep wander in the fields, and you can hear the resident rooster crowing his demands come dusk.

Chardonnay, viognier, pinot noir, shiraz, merlot, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc are either grown on-site or sourced from vineyards in Maffra, Heathcote or Yarra Valley to shape the winery’s repertoire.

Edna and Athelstan Friend worked the property as a dairy farm from the 1940s. Their son Harry planted the first experimental vines back in 1980, eventually moving to the farm in 1995. The old butter factory in Glengarry served as Harry’s first winery, while the cellar door began as a small weatherboard bungalow at the back of the house. These days, Harry’s son Axel is part of the winemaking team.

The restaurant has a seasonal Mediterranean-leaning menu of handmade pasta, pizza and antipasti, along with hearty mains such as slow-cooked lamb rump with chickpea puree, roasted broccolini and crushed chat potatoes. The restaurant runs Thursday to Sunday, and Monday to Wednesday is cellar door only.

Explore Gippsland further using our detailed Out of Town to Central Gippsland guide.