Quealy Winemakers

Quealy Winemakers sits at 62 Bittern-Dromana Road in Balnarring, one of the Mornington Peninsula's most distinctive cellar doors — run by Kathleen Quealy and Kevin McCarthy, the winery has spent three decades championing Italian grape varieties and biodynamic farming in a region better known for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The result is a portfolio unlike anything else on the Peninsula: Friulano with genuine aromatic complexity, Moscato Bianco of uncommon elegance, Pinot Gris with the texture and presence of the Friuli originals it pays homage to, alongside the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay you'd expect. The cellar door is hosted daily from 10am to 5pm inside the working winery — tastings are conducted among barrels and terracotta amphora, the latter used to age wines with minimal intervention and maximum site expression. Groups are limited to six guests, and while bookings aren't essential, they're recommended to guarantee a place. Tastings run approximately 30 minutes and focus on whichever range the team considers most ready. Small plates are available to complement the tasting — a cheese plate, anchovies with focaccia, olives — the kind of food that lets the wines breathe without competing. There is no formal restaurant, but the unhurried nature of the cellar door means guests rarely feel the need for one. Quealy's 165 reviews averaging 4.7 stars speak to what the experience delivers: wines of genuine individuality, a setting that puts production and product in the same room, and hosts who know these varieties with the depth of lifelong commitment. Ready to visit? Walk in daily from 10am to 5pm or book through the Quealy website to secure your group's time.