Sorrento Sunset 7:27 PM Case 02 is open · Play
Spring Insider · October 2026 Spring 2026
A local point of view.
A Peninsula worth knowing.
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She’s out again.
Case 02: Took the long way to dinner. Ask the locals, read the land, find her before sunset. Find her and go in the draw for $250 to dine at Doot Doot Doot, Jackalope.
Free to play, no account.
Estate-grown pinot noir alongside a seasonal degustation rooted in the Ridge vineyard.
Known for Three Vineyard EstateMcCutcheon Pinot NoirTwo-Hat RestaurantWine List of the YearTerroir Degustation
Ten Minutes by Tractor · Main Ridge Photo · Provided image
Why we’d goTwo hats and the most considered wine program on the Peninsula, a degustation that tastes like the specific slope outside the window, not just the region.
Ten Minutes by Tractor earns its two hats with a degustation that feels genuinely rooted in place. The Ridge vineyard slopes outside the window aren't decoration; they're the story. The estate draws fruit from three distinct Main Ridge vineyards, each named, each distinct, and the kitchen's job is to make the wine and food speak to the same landscape.
The cooking is technically precise without being cold. The team understands restraint, flavours are clear and confident, not overwrought. The charred bread with cultured butter has become a quiet institution. The wine program won Wine List of the Year, and the pairing across the degustation is where you feel why.
Book at least six weeks ahead for weekends. Lunch is the move.
Worth knowing
If you only do one thing
Book at least six weeks ahead for a weekend lunch sitting and add the wine pairing, this is the one Peninsula degustation where the wine program earns equal billing with the food.
Works well with
T'Gallant · La Baracca at T'Gallant
Filed under Long LunchAnniversaryCellar DoorWeekend EscapeWorth The DriveSpringSummerAutumnCouplesGroup
Editor's verdict
Ten Minutes by Tractor is where Mornington Peninsula wine stops apologising for its ambitions. Three original family vineyards, each named and separately vinified, plus a winemaking philosophy pulled straight from Burgundy's manual: high-density planting, spontaneous fermentation, gravity flow. The two-hat restaurant cements it as a full-day destination for anyone who takes wine seriously.
Reservations recommended; walk-ins accepted subject to availability. Estate & 10X flight (fee waived on purchase); Single Vineyard flight and Terroir Masterclass are the premium tiers.
Key varieties: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Fiano.
Worth seeking out: McCutcheon Pinot Noir.
2 Good Food Guide hats.
Fine dining, 2 Hats Age Good Food Guide 2023–2025. Seasonally driven menu using local produce. A destination in its own right.
Cuisine: Modern Australian.
The cellar door is open daily 11am–5pm. Reservations are recommended; walk-ins are accepted subject to availability. The restaurant requires a separate booking.
Yes - a two-hat Modern Australian fine-dining restaurant, awarded consistently 2023–2025 by The Age Good Food Guide.
Dogs are permitted on the estate grounds but are not allowed inside the cellar door, restaurant buildings, or dining terrace.
Not sure how to build a day around Ten Minutes by Tractor?
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You have never been to the Mornington Peninsula. You have a free weekend. You want to know what is actually good, what is overrated, and what the people who live here would tell you to do. This is that guide.
Part of an escape
Skip the planning - these itineraries sequence this venue into a proper Peninsula weekend.
Two nights at Jackalope, one round at St Andrews Beach, vineyard meals and a short coastal alternative for non-golfers.
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Build a day around this
Peninsula Insider guides that put this stop into the context of a full day or weekend.
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