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????? EVERYONE LOVES SUMMER  ??????

Hello,
Let it all go. The year is nearly done and summer holidays are the only thing on the agenda. The orchards are bursting with berries, cherries and stonefruits, the cider and craft beer is chilled (Read more about our exclusive Canned Summer below), and nature has her doors wide open to welcome us back (Yes the Redwood Forest and 1000 Steps are open again - but plan for off peak visitation and explore more in the region).

Summertime activities in the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges are all about catching the latest cool breeze, finding a special waterside picnic location and long leisurely walks in the forests. All before heading back to a comfy room with a stunning view, and a chef prepared meal to rave about with the region''s best produce as hero. Do summer with us. It doesn''t get better than this.

Let''s enjoy a very happy festive season and rise above 2020. If ever we''ve deserved break it''s now, so don''t forget to check out the Regional Travel vouchers incentive program recently launched - and stay even longer!

COMING UP

• Happening this School Holidays
• Road Trip combos
• Canned Summer is deliciously cool
• Make time to Wander to Warburton
• Where to swim (or float!) this summer holidays

Our website has plenty of inspo to help you plan your next visit - stay and play all summer. Don''t forget to check in with venues ahead of your visit as bookings may be required...and everyone loves the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges. 
 
Some Covid restrictions remain in place in Victoria. For more information about current restrictions click here
 

BE KIND - STAY SMART

SCHOOL HOLIDAYS FOR NATURE LOVERS  

Looking for some summer holiday fun this School Holidays? Get the family together and discover awesome activities in the Yarra Valley & Dandenong Ranges! 

Need some ideas for getting outside and active? Entertain the whole crew with some nature loving experiences - from caring for koalas, catching a fish for dinner or picking fruit from straight from the tree - you''ll be surprised what your kids can do!

WHERE TO SWIM THIS SUMMER HOLIDAYS 

There are plenty of cool places to cool down in the Yarra Valley. Just heading to the hills, and the endless green of shady trees, will help you feel instantly refreshed but if getting your toes in the water appeals, here are some ideas for waterplay that make summer heat a breeze. Tubing is a great  way to enjoy the river with some floating fun. Or discover a splashpark and get drenched.

??SPRING, YOU''RE GORGEOUS?? 

Dear Grayson

Inhale spring, exhale delight. It''s been long (lockdown) kind of winter and even though there''s still a few more stages to go, the arrival of spring blossom, joyful jonquils and warm breezes makes everything better. ??

Thank you for supporting the Yarra Valley & Dandenong Ranges over the past months. We celebrate you and never to be beaten, we''ve blossomed a great spring idea to bring the region to you - at home!

?? Pop  3 & 4 October in your diaries ... The Yarra Valley Garden Party - a virtual event-  is on its way! It''s going o be the springiest event on your lockdown calendar.

While as a region we are still in Stage 4 restrictions (prior to Sept 28). For more information about current restrictions click here.  In the meantime we will be  busy creating virtual experiences for you until we meet again - in person!??

Enjoy the ultimate Yarra Valley Garden Party  'experience'. Each pack has the prettiest spring garden party ideas inside:

• Recipe cards to help create a terrific spring garden party
• All the items to cut out and make their own spring garland (#isocraft)
• A packet of Diggers seeds to plant their own sweet peas
• A Spotify spring soundtrack inspired by the wines and our region
• A list of the most Instagrammable places in the Yarra Valley & Dandenong Ranges
• Winemakers favourite dishes to go with their wine

and we answer the question you've never asked . If this wine was a song, what would it be...? 
Available for pre-purchase NOW in the Regional Pantry. 
Mark your diary for 3&4 October and celebrate spring in style.

TAKE IT AWAY

We''re not quite there yet in the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges but lucky there is still plenty of takeaway to order!

If we all could buy at least one takeaway a week, bottle of wine (or two) direct from a winery, and check in on what else our hospitality faves are   doing it will help. We want them there on the other side,  so  we need to  spend with them today. Small acts done by many do help!

Eating well at home and celebrate all the family events you can. Click  here for our top  TAKEAWAY AND HOME DELIVERY recommendations.

August promises to be a month like no other. In Victoria we''re doing the best we can at being excellent at staying home. With Stage 4 restrictions now in place in Melbourne metro and Stage 3 restrictions introduced throughout Regional Victoria ''Iso life'' is here - again.

Can we stress enough how important  it is to buy direct and buy online? No we can''t  - we implore you to support the regions with a click of  your mouse, a tap of  the card. And - besides - you get a great drink, pot of jam or zippy new favourite thing out of it  too. The world of online shopping has never been more essential - for us and you!

Check out  The Regional Pantry for all the ways you can make the most of the next few weeks - including our brand new Taste the Road Trip 6 Pack of Yarra Valley wines. Send a surprise to someone you love, plan a special meal, stock up the cellar or pamper yourself.

And most of all be safe, be kind, and look out for one another. 

• Taste the Road Trip
• Shop The Regional Pantry
• Takeaway and home delivery
• Eat & Play

TASTE THE ROAD TRIP

It''s time to pretend you''re wandering through the Cellar Doors of the Yarra Valley (OMG we wish you actually were - we miss you!!!). We''ve created a Taste The Road Trip winter 6pack of reds that come from along our Alternative Taste Trail. When it arrives on your door it brings with it a virtual cellar door tasting road trip (a video tasting with our local winemakers), recipes from participating wineries and - of course - 6 bottles of amazing Yarra Valley wine. Try something new - love your old favourites - buy online now: https://bit.ly/TasteTheRoadTrip
Pack includes:
De Bortoli Wines Yarra Valley - 2019 The Estate Vineyard Gamay
Mandala Wines Yarra Valley - 2019 Estate Pinot Noir
Steels Gate Wines - 2019 Bastardo
Zonzo Estate - 2017 Estate Shiraz
Fergusson Winery and Restaurant - 2015 Benjamyn Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
Sutherland Estate - 2017 Sparkling Tempranillo

THE REGIONAL PANTRY

TAKEAWAY AND HOME DELIVERY
YOUR FAVOURITE FOOD AND WINE AT HOME

Sunday Roasts delivered to your door. Wine paired with cheesy delights. Takeaway and home delivery from your favourite restaurant or cafe continues through Stage 4 restrictions - thank goodness!
Enjoy a chef-prepared meal that you finish at home, and embrace the hearty soups and slow braises of winter to nourish us during lockdown. Restock the cellar for Lockdown 2.0 and send a case to a friend in need! 

Rob Dolan Wines have dug into their museum wines for 3 top vintages of Cabernet Sauvignon to taste and compare. A "vertical" is the best way to learn which flavours came from the environment, weather, winemaking or age.

With Meg Brodtmann, Master of Wine, who will guide you through a tasting of the 2015, 2016 and 2017 vintages of Rob Dolan White Label Cabernet Sauvignon. Meg has the highest wine designation any person can earn! 
For $99 you'll receive:
- Three vintages of Rob Dolan White Label Cabernet Sauvignon, worth $135
- Zoom entry for interactive tasting with Meg
- Free Shipping* or pick up from Cellar Door

*Last day to order for delivery: Thursday 6 August.
MORE INFO 

GRAB THAT GIFT FOR DAD...TODAY  

Dear Grayson

Have you got a ''hard to buy for'' dad?  Our gift guide just  made the ''think-of something-different'' challenge (i)so much easier for Father''s Day this year.  

Order today and give your new best friends (especially if the delivery person is the only visitor you get!) time to bring your goodies right to your doorstep. 

??SPRING IS COMING TO YOU THIS YEAR?? 

?? The Yarra Valley Garden Party is on this weekend. 

Join us in the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges for a gorgeous series of spring events - all online on Facebook and accessible from the comfort of your own home. It''s spring coming to you!

Missed your favourite blossom garden?  Curious about fabulous spring dishes you can prepare at home? Need a stretch outdoors among spring time blooms? Want plants that love you back? Ready for some Inspo on how to set the scene for the ultimate garden party?   The Yarra Valley Garden Party program is a weekend of spring delights.??

And our Yarra Garden Party Pack is the perfect the way to set up a pretty garden soiree at home, complete with our handpicked selection of springtime wines. But you''ll need to order it by midday Tuesday 29 September 2020 (metro Melbourne orders) to make sure it''s on your doorstep in time for the weekend.  (And there''s even an online  event  with the lovely Jess Nguyen showing you how to set the perfect table for a spring garden party on Saturday, and a hosted wine tasting on Sunday).

??We have curated a program of springtime love that will take you on a deep dive into the season - even though you can''t visit (yet) in person.

Have fun and see you on the FACEBOOK virtual event page this weekend for all events and updates.?? 
 

Enjoy the ultimate Yarra Valley Garden Party experience at home this weekend. In addition to 6 wines, each pack has the prettiest spring garden party ideas inside:

• Recipe cards to help create a terrific spring garden party
• All the items to cut out and make their own spring garland (#isocraft)
• A packet of Diggers seeds to plant their own sweet peas
• A Spotify spring soundtrack inspired by the wines and our region
• A list of the most Instagrammable places in the Yarra Valley & Dandenong Ranges
• Winemakers favourite dishes to go with their wine

and we answer the question you've never asked . If this wine was a song, what would it be...?  Hint there''s a Spotify list to enjoy while you sip a fab bubbles or rose!

Available for purchase NOW in the Regional Pantry. 

?????? OUT AND ABOUT (within your 5km) ONE STEP AT A TIME ?? ?? ??

Hello,
October already! Where has this year gone (yes, we know...)? It''s a month full of anticipation - that we together take another step forward. Into warmer weather, into reconnecting with family and friends, into sunshine and into celebrations of food, wine and flowers! Let''s do this.

• Spring Garden Party Recap
• CherryHill turns 80!
• Yarra Valley Opera Festival goes online
• Christmas shopping in the Regional Pantry
• Wine appreciation
• Grand Final weekend and top picnics packs 
• Spring issue out now - Off Peak Weddings - "I do" to micro weddings 

As at Sept 28 metropolitan Melbourne moved to the Second Step toward COVID Normal. Third step resriticions apply in regional Victoria. For more information about current restrictions click here
 

DON''T FORGET TO ENJOY THE YARRA VALLEY AT HOME

Available NOW in the Regional Pantry. 

CHERRYHILL ORCHARDS TURN 80
 

YARRA VALLEY OPERA FESTIVAL 2.5

It''s the  first ever online - virtual - streamed - digital Yarra Valley Opera Festival!  From 16-25 October 2020, enjoy ten days of glorious singing and fascinating stories. Free pop-ups and forums, with tickets from $20 - $75 (Gold Class). 

An eclectic contemporary program of OPERA & CONCERT-BY-VIDEO, PODCAST, POP-UP STREAMS & Q&A-style FORUM, all from the comfort of your own place. And, introducing the GO Zoom Room, where artists, crew and company will drop in to ''hang out - to chat and engage with you across the ten days. With Gertrude Opera.??

The Festival opens on the 16th of October with a Gala concert featuring performances from company singers over the past eleven years, and hosted by Thompson and Maestro Brian Castles Onion. Some of the artists performing from their homes around the world include Hadleigh Adams (San Francisco Opera, Los Angeles Opera), Stacey Alleaume (Bregenz Festspiele, Royal Opera House Muscat, OA) Sophie Yelland (Welsh National Opera, Glyndebourne Festival Opera), Twice-Grammy nominated baritone John Marcus Bindel (Metropolitan Opera), Na'ama Goldman (Israeli Opera, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Grange Opera) and Sarah Herman-Heltzel, who sang Offred in Gertrude Opera's premiere of The Handmaid's Tale.

Is it too early to talk about Christmas shopping? We know there are some who  walk among us who typically have their Christmas shopping done by now, but let''s face it these are not typical times. Shopping online is the stress free way to shop - no crowds and way easier to keep to a budget!

The Regional Pantry is your go-to for delightful gifts that say everything you love about the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges. Especially the things that you didn''t even realise you were missing.

There''s local produce and gift vouchers (for when we can), fabulous experiences and activities, wine packs (perfect for catering a small gathering or as a gift) and loads of special gift packs coming your way.

The best of the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges is just a click away in our online shop,  The Regional Pantry.   Delivered to your door.

HELLO SPRING EDITION  - OFF PEAK WEDDINGS
 

Image: @botanicaeditions

Dear Grayson
As you will know, Stage 3 restrictions have been re-instated  for six weeks in Metropolitan Melbourne from 11.59pm on Wednesday 8 July. Read more about the areas covered by these restrictions here.  So we return to a ''familiar'' place where staying at home is the best thing we can do for our families, our communities and our region. 

Our Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges businesses, cafes and restaurants are busy re-adjusting to these new-old conditions. There are some wonderful virtual experiences coming up, and the world of online shopping has never looked better! Check out The Regional Pantry.

And of course there are the cellar doors, the restaurants and the cafes that provide us with delicious local fare and keep our spirits high. Takeaway and home delivery options have been, and will continue to be offered from all your favourites and we encourage you to support local whenever you can. Buying your wine direct from the maker (or anything else) really does make a difference. It all helps.

So for now we can cherish the memories of that small window of getting out and about we enjoyed, and come together for another six weeks of being at home. We can''t wait to see you again on the other side.
 
Stay well, stay connected.

• Takeaway and home delivery delights
• Online Shopping at your fingertips
• Shop The Regional Pantry
• Eat Play Cook
• More love please with Off Peak Weddings

TAKEAWAY AND HOME DELIVERY
YOUR FAVOURITE FOOD AND WINE AT HOME

Supporting our local restaurants and cafes takes on new significance as we enter Stage 3 lockdown.  There are some flavours that you just can''t replicate at home! Turn that craving into supporting a local business and order takeaway. Enjoy the satisfaction of finishing a chef-prepared meal at home, and make the most of winter menus designed to nourish us during lockdown. Stock up on an extra case of wine if you can, and think about all the ways you can share with friends in the future. It all helps...and it tastes good too.

ONLINE SHOPPING - THE YARRA VALLEY ON YOUR DOORSTEP

Cosy blankets for snuggly winter nights, cheese selections that become dinner, grocery items delivered fresh to your door. Producers, makers, growers and more have quickly adapted to the new world of living from home and are offering online shop-at-home experiences that give you all the right connections to hard to get, or previously unavailable, Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges products that make life just that little bit more of everything you love (and can''t bear to live without!).

THE REGIONAL PANTRY

HEARTY RISOTTO WITH MUSHROOMS AND CHESTNUTS    

WINTER HEARTS LOVE OFF PEAK WEDDINGS    

Hello Fellow Traveller,

As always we hope this finds you safe, as healthy as can be hoped and with a holiday itch that we can help scratch. We''re mostly all staying closer to home this summer and many Victorians are keeping well within our boarders, but that doesn''t mean we can''t all have an adventure now - does it? Let''s see if we can inspire a few!

What are your 2021 resolutions looking like? How about finally going ballooning with Global Ballooning, maybe up your walking game to take in a new trail each month (Walking Trails Guide HERE). Were you hoping too ''see new places''? Sorted - pretend you''ve left our shores by wandering the Blue Lotus Water garden. Are you more inclined to want to lift your cultural self this year? Easy - visit more galleries, museums and even try your hand at a class or two. Read on explorers - read on ...

We are all looking forward to seeing you as soon as you''ve got the all-clear. We''d also love to hear from you if you have any travel questions or feedback for us. We write these emails in an attempt to help make decision making easier - let us know how we can get even better at that in a way that suits you.

Our website has plenty of inspo to help you plan your next visit - stay and play all summer. Don''t forget to check in with venues ahead of your visit as bookings may be required...as everyone loves the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges. 
 
Some Covid restrictions remain in place in Victoria. For more information about current restrictions click here
 

BE KIND - STAY SAFE

WHERE TO SWIM THIS SUMMER HOLIDAYS 

There are plenty of cool places to cool down in the Yarra Valley. Just heading to the hills, and the endless green of shady trees, will help you feel instantly refreshed but if getting your toes in the water appeals, here are some ideas for waterplay that make summer heat a breeze. Tubing is a great  way to enjoy the river with some floating fun. Or discover a splashpark and get drenched.