Victoria might be one of Australia’s smallest states, but its 600 or so cellar doors make it one of the country’s most popular with wine drinkers.
If you’re not sure which of the many wineries to add to your hit list, perhaps a boutique pop-up hotel room in a converted shipping container could help you decide.
After a Covid-related hiatus, from March to June the Wine Down eco-hotel will again visit two Victorian wineries, so you can wake up among the vines on the Mornington Peninsula or in Rutherglen.
Both of the accommodation containers have queen-sized beds fitted with Cultiver linen sheets, “taste-of-the-region” minibars, luxury ensuites and reverse-cycle heating and cooling.
The long sides of the containers have sliding glass doors that open onto private sheltered decks, where guests can take in the vineyard views and dig into their continental breakfast hampers. Expect a private pizza oven, too.
The folks at Contained are behind the pop-up hotel, which aims for sustainable luxury with a net zero carbon footprint.
First stop is in Red Hill – a collaboration between Montalto (which has its own sculpture park) and sister estate Tucks – in March and April, then All Saints Estate in Rutherglen for the final leg in May and June.
The Wine Down Pop-Up Hotel is bookable from March 29 to April 26 at Montalto and Tucks on the Mornington Peninsula, and May 5 to April 2 at All Saints Estate in Rutherglen. The cost is $275 per night from Sunday to Thursday, and $375 per night from Friday to Saturday.
