Canonical: https://peninsulainsider.com.au/wine/crittenden-estate/ Publisher: Peninsula Insider Published: unknown Modified: unknown Format: public main text, generated from the canonical page; imagery and interactive controls omitted. Dates and caveats below retain their page meaning; this format is not a new fact check. [Wine Country]() Winery [Dromana]() Dromana # Crittenden Estate The Peninsula's pioneering estate, four decades of Crittenden family winemaking, Pinot, Chardonnay, and the Spanish-Italian Los Hermanos range from a new lakeside wine centre. Known for Founded 1982 by Garry Crittenden Los Hermanos Italian-Spanish Range Lakeside Wine Centre Second-Generation Winemaker Rollo [Book a tasting]() +61 3 5981 8322 - Photo · Courtesy of Visit Victoria - Photo · Courtesy of Visit Victoria - Photo · Courtesy of Visit Victoria - Photo · Courtesy of Visit Victoria - Photo · Courtesy of Visit Victoria - Photo · Courtesy of Visit Victoria - Photo · Courtesy of Visit Victoria - Photo · Courtesy of Visit Victoria - Photo · Courtesy of Visit Victoria - Photo · Courtesy of Visit Victoria - Photo · Courtesy of Visit Victoria - Photo · Courtesy of Visit Victoria - Photo · Courtesy of Visit Victoria - Photo · Courtesy of Visit Victoria - Photo · Courtesy of Visit Victoria - Photo · Courtesy of Visit Victoria 1 of 16 1 / 16 A host pours red wine for two guests at an umbrella-shaded table on a brick terrace overlooking vines and a lake Crittenden Estate, Dromana, Mornington Peninsula. Photo · Courtesy of Visit Victoria Why we’d go One of the founding estates of the Peninsula, now surprising visitors with Italian and Spanish varieties nobody else on the Peninsula grows. Crittenden is one of the founding estates of the Peninsula wine region, Garry Crittenden planted the first vines in 1982 and the property has stayed in the family for four decades, now under second-generation winemaker Rollo. That history matters, but it is not why you drive here. You drive here because the Crittenden line-up is one of the few on the Peninsula that genuinely surprises people: alongside textbook Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Rollo has built out the Los Hermanos range, Savagnin, Arneis, Nebbiolo, working with Spanish and Italian varieties that barely exist anywhere else in the region. Photo · Courtesy of Visit Victoria The new Wine Centre, completed recently, sits beside the lake at the heart of the estate and is designed for proper seated tastings rather than elbow-to-elbow counter pours. Pair a flight with the lakeside Crittenden Restaurant next door for one of the most complete half-days in Dromana. Open daily for tastings; book for the restaurant. Ask the team to walk you through the skin-contact and amphora-aged experiments, it is where the second generation is clearly stretching out. Part of Crittenden Estate [Crittenden Restaurant Restaurant Lakeside dining under a vine-strung pergola at one of the Peninsula's founding wineries, now Crittenden Restaurant under Head Chef Brunno Melo.]()[Crittenden Estate Villas Villa Self-contained lakeside villas at Crittenden Estate, with a cellar door and restaurant on the property.]() Worth knowing **Best for** Cellar door visits · Wine lovers · Couples · Food lovers If you only do one thing Ask the team to walk you through the skin-contact and amphora-aged experiments, it is where the second generation is clearly stretching out. Works well with Crittenden Restaurant · Small Stone Pantry Filed under Cellar Door Waterfront Slow All Year Couples Group First Timers Winemaker Rollo Crittenden Varieties Pinot Noir Chardonnay Savagnin Sangiovese Nebbiolo Worth seeking Cri de Coeur At a glance **Type** Winery **Location** 25 Harrisons Rd, Dromana VIC 3936 · [Directions]() **Call** +61 3 5981 8322 **Awards** James Halliday Top 100 Wineries · Pioneering Peninsula Estate (planted 1982) **Website** [www.crittendenwines.com.au]() **Directions** [Get directions]() **Opening hours** - Mon to Thu, Sun 10:30am–5pm - Fri, Sat 10:30am–6:30pm **Live status** [Check current hours →]() **Winemaker** Rollo Crittenden **Tasting fee** Charged **Halliday** [Halliday listing]() [Book now]() Editor's verdict Crittenden Estate was making wine when the Peninsula was still finding its feet. Garry Crittenden planted the first vines in 1982 with genuine varietal curiosity: Italian varietals, unusual white grapes, and a serious interest in what grows well. Under Rollo Crittenden, the estate has kept that intellectual restlessness alive while refining the flagship range. The restaurant and lakeside villas make it a full-stay destination. ## Visiting Bookings highly preferred. Standard Tasting (6–8 wines); Premium Tasting (Single Vineyard); Private Tasting Room is the top tier. No pets. ## The wines **Key varieties:** Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Savagnin, Sangiovese, Nebbiolo. **Worth seeking out:** Cri de Coeur. ## Crittenden Restaurant Celebrates local producers. Head Chef Brunno Melo. Open lunch Friday–Tuesday, dinner Friday–Saturday. **Cuisine:** Modern Australian. [Reserve a table →]() ## Crittenden Lakeside Villas Three fully appointed, self-contained villas built over the estate lake. Full stay-and-taste proposition. ## Frequently asked questions ### Does Crittenden Estate take walk-ins or do you need to book? Bookings are highly preferred. The cellar door is open daily. ### Does Crittenden Estate have a restaurant? Yes - Crittenden Restaurant serves Modern Australian cuisine. Open lunch Friday–Tuesday, dinner Friday–Saturday. ### Are dogs allowed at Crittenden Estate? No - the official site states no pets for the Terrace and dining areas. Not sure how to build a day around Crittenden Estate? [Search Peninsula Insider]() In the journal ## Stories that mention Crittenden Estate These pieces give you the context a listing page never does - the when, the why, and the who-it’s-for. [Journal →]() Service 8 min ### [The Peninsula Orientation Drive: Six Stops in One Day]() 10 April 2026 The drive to make on your first visit, or the one to send a friend on when you are out of time to explain why you keep coming back. Coffee, ridge, hinterland, ocean, village, bay - in that order, with most of a day to enjoy it. Editor's Letter 7 min ### [The Spring Peninsula: Why September and October Are the Region's Most Underrated Weekends]() 16 April 2026 The vines coming back into leaf, the back beaches at their cleanest, the cellar doors quiet enough to actually talk to the winemakers, and the first warm afternoons of the year. The case for coming down in spring, before everyone else remembers to. More to explore ## Other wine experiences to compare [Back to Wine Country →]() Winery [Red Hill]() ### [Avani Wines]() 98 Stanleys Road, Red Hill South VIC 3937 Shashi and Rohit Singh's biodynamic family estate, one of the Peninsula's only serious Syrah programs alongside the Amrit single-vineyard range. cellar door slow [Read notes]() Winery [Merricks]() ### [Baillieu Vineyard]() 51 Stanleys Rd, Merricks VIC 3916 A thoughtfully managed Merricks estate making elegant Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that rewards the drive to find it. cellar door slow [Read notes]() [Book]() Winery [Moorooduc]() ### [Barmah Park Vineyard]() 3007 Frankston-Flinders Rd, Moorooduc VIC 3933 A rustic, intimate cellar door running a five-wine, five-canape pairing from a hatted-standard kitchen, the most structured tasting format on the Peninsula. cellar door long lunch [Read notes]() Build a day around this ## Planning guides that include Crittenden Estate Peninsula Insider guides that put this stop into the context of a full day or weekend. 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