RACV Cape Schanck Resort's wine program manager reveals the best cheese and wine pairings from the Mornington Peninsula.
Victoria
Milk the Cow
11 of the best places to go cheese tasting in Victoria
Cheese, glorious cheese. From fromageries and farm gates to artisan cheese makers, mongers and cellar doors, here’s how to taste your way through Victoria’s best cheeses.
Cheeseaholics, check this out: this might just ‘brie’ the cheesiest guide to Victoria you’ll ever read.
With artisan cheese makers, mongers and fromagerie cellar doors dotted across the state, Victoria really is the big cheese, offering turophiles (cheese lovers) endless options of places at which to complete their daily dairy worship. Whether you’re into sharp and stinky or smooth and creamy, here’s our guide to the best places to go cheese tasting in Victoria.
The best places to eat cheese in Melbourne and regional Victoria
Milk the Cow
157 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda and 323 Lygon Street, Carlton
It wouldn’t be a celebration of all things cheese without paying homage to one of the state’s most delicious cheese dealers, Milk the Cow. Take a flight of fancy through a selection of rare and interesting global varieties paired with excellent local and international wines. Cheese and dessert wine pairing, anyone?
Spring Street Grocer
157 Spring Street, Melbourne
Spring Street Grocer is pretty much a cheese lover’s paradise. Beneath its unassuming Spring Street shopfront lies Australia’s first underground cheese maturation cellar. Headed up by a team of cheesemongers who have painstakingly taste-tested cheese from all around the world, bring you a curated selection of the very finest. Book in for a private tasting or get your mates together for a raclette party.
Milk the Cow is a cheese and wine lover's paradise. Photo: Visit Victoria.
That’s Amore
66 Latitude Blvd, Thomastown
At That’s Amore, they believe the key to cheesemaking is love. That’s what sets their traditional ricotta, beautiful burrata and buffalo mozzarella apart from the rest. As well as having one of the finest selections of artisan Italian cheese in the country, the Thomastown cheesery also has a seriously epic delicatessen stocked with the full range of That’s Amore cheeses as well as international varieties, cured meats, antipasto and other gourmet Italian foodstuffs. Stop in at the on-site café for a delicious meal or book in for a beginner cheese making class. If you're in the CBD, stop in at Sojourn, on New Chancery Lane, and bite into their creamy burrata with broad beans, peas and Healesville honey.
Maker and Monger
Prahran Market, Stall 98/163 Commercial Rd, South Yarra
If burrata is your religion, what better place to go than Melbourne’s chapel of cheese. The gourmet cheese deli, located at Prahran Market, has an epic selection of some of the world’s best fromages. From fresh burrata and barrel-aged feta to buttery gouda and gorgeous gorgonzola, the options are endless. As well as a star-studded selection of award-winning appellation-control cheeses, Maker and Monger is also slinging some of Melbourne’s meanest toasties. Their OG All-American grilled cheese is a cult favourite.
Harper and Blohm
365 Sydney Road, Brunswick
When it comes to cheese, Brunswick’s resident stilton, scamorza and Swiss cheese dealer is spinning all the specialty wheels. The curated cheese list includes award-winning options from across the globe, as well as all the cheesiest sidekicks, including gourmet pickles, crackers and, of course, Cru Champagne. You can even pick up recyclable BPA-free storage bags to keep your cheesy selections fresher for longer.
Thomastown's That's Amore is the go-to for Italian cheese varieties. Image: Facebook.
Milawa Cheese Co
17 Factory Road, Milawa
For the ultimate cheese immersion, you can’t get better than a trip to the Milawa Cheese Company. Housed in an old butter factory, owners David and Anna Brown have been churning out delectable European-inspired delights since 1988 and, to this day, everything is still made, turned and washed by hand. Stop in for a self-guided cheese tasting, sit back on the balcony with a platter for two washed down with local Wood Park Wines, then have a gander at the Off Centre Gallery and Studio, which showcases a rotating menu of local artists’ work.
Boatshed Cheese
3/10 Thomson Terrace, Dromana
If you’ve not yet had the pleasure of visiting this Dromana cheese dealer, do yourself a favour. Their delectable range includes everything from a semi-hard goat’s cheese soaked in pinot noir to a buttery cheddar and even the peninsula’s answer to halloumi. Visiting with a group? Tours, classes and even cheeky cheese platters are on offer but be sure to book ahead. If you're staying at RACV Cape Schanck Resort, stop in at Samphire for a local cheese board washed down with a glass of wine.
Bassine Speciality Cheeses
2125 Bass Highway opp. King Rd, Glen Forbes
Cheesemaking began as a hobby for Kaye Courtney of Bassine Speciality Cheeses, which started out as a dairy farm in 1966. Their award-winning, artisan farmhouse-style cheeses include brie, camembert, parmigiano and gouda, as well as feta marinated in native flavours, such as lemon myrtle and pepper berry. The farmgate is open for tastings and sales, with platters and snacks available if you want to linger a little.
Tuck into artisan cheese boards at Yarra Valley Dairy. Photo: Visit Victoria.
Yarra Valley Dairy
70 McMeikans Road, Yering
From fresh goat’s cheese and marinated feta to mature, washed-rind varieties, is there anything this award-winning cheese maker can’t do? Yarra Valley Dairy’s delectable selections are ideal for cheeseboards, baking and everything in between. Tastings are held in the cheese shop, which is located in the farm’s original, 100-year-old milking shed, right next door to the factory. Once you’ve found your faves, pull up a table and tuck into a cheese platter accompanied by fresh bread, locally smoked trout and other regional charcuterie.
Apostle Whey Cheese
9 Gallum Rd, Cooriemungle
If you’re planning a Great Ocean Road roadtrip, be sure to pencil in a stop at Apostle Whey Cheese. The influential cheesery is the vision of dairy farmers Julian and Dianne Benson, who began churning out sublime cheeses from their property in 2005. They’ve even bred their herd to produce milk with higher butterfat and protein levels, which is critical to the flavours they achieve with their cheeses. Cheese tastings are available every day. You can even watch the process in real time, from the milking of the cows to the hand-making of the cheese.
Cheese World and Museum
5330 Great Ocean Rd, Allansford
Get your specialty cheese on at an artisan café, cheesemonger and museum dedicated to the enjoyment of all things cheesy. The Great Ocean Road’s Cheese World and Museum has a selection of house-label gourmet cheddars on tasting, while also showcasing delicious dairy products from local artisans including Meredith Dairy, Moondarra and Jindi. Have a bite in the café then take a wander through the local dairy history museum. You can even pick up a gourmet gift hamper from the souvenir shop on the way out.
