The Wine Hopper bus tour is a great way to get around Murrumbateman wineries. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
A trip to visit the wineries of Murrumbateman is a classic Canberra weekend activity. But there’s often a problem: who will be the designated driver?
Founded by three local brothers (with the help of a few friends), new business Wine Hopper is making the question irrelevant. This hop-on-hop-off bus tour drops you at a curated selection of Murrumbateman wineries and gets you home in one piece: no ‘deso’ (designated driver) required.
Region was lucky enough to take part in one of the first tours with Wine Hopper.
Meeting in Civic for a 10 am departure on a sunny winter Saturday, we hopped on the colourful bus. The itinerary has nine stops to choose from and you can select three or four to visit (depending on how much time you’d like for lunch) before returning to the city at about 5 pm. Other tours of the region often require you to book out the whole bus for a private experience, but this is accessible to groups of any size.
Wine Hopper’s information pack tells you a little about each stop so you can decide which you’d like to visit. Your knowledgeable driver can also help answer any questions and offer suggestions: Wine Hopper staff are experts in the region!
Tim at Eden Road guides us through the tasting with plenty of information about the region. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
We started at Eden Road Wines for our first tasting and were guided by Tim, who was personable and full of great stories. The tasting of six wines became seven with a cheeky extra rosé thrown in. We particularly enjoyed the 2019 Pinot Noir. The itinerary allows for a leisurely hour at each stop, giving us plenty of time to enjoy the wines without feeling rushed.
Back on the bus, we headed to lunch at Four Winds Winery. We were joined by another colleague for lunch. She didn’t have time to spend all day on the tour, but was able to drive out and meet us. Four Winds offers a choice of wine flights, which allows for speedy service even on busy days. Our meals were also served quickly. We enjoyed the ham and capers pizza, and pairing of potato and gorgonzola.
We had enough time to head across the road to Dionysus Winery for a wine and chocolate pairing – a perfect dessert! – and still keep to the bus’s schedule. The wines are included in the chocolate filling, which makes for a delicious grown-up treat. The staff were super friendly and the experience refreshingly down to earth (their tasting notes include a guide on ‘how to taste wine without looking like a wanker’). My favourite pairing was the Tempranillo with morello cherry chocolate.
Take a Wine Hopper bus tour around Murrumbateman’s wineries. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
Our final stop was the Vintner’s Daughter. Run by Steph Helm – daughter of Canberra wine icon Ken Helm – and her husband Ben Osborne, this winery focusses on small-batch, handcrafted wines. After tasting so many crisp, dry Canberra rieslings it was nice to taste a semi-sweet variety. We also enjoyed the dangerously smooth fortified shiraz.
Other folks on the bus stopped for lunch at the newly renovated Shaw Estate Wines, choosing tastings at Clonakilla and Murrumbateman Winery. There’s also the option to have a classic pub lunch at Murrumbateman Country Inn. The Wine Hopper team has done a great job curating a diverse list of stops to cater for different tastes and hopes to expand its tours to include Wallaroo and Lake George itineraries.
While small groups can walk in to most venues without an issue, it’s still worth calling ahead so they can be prepared if multiple small groups arrive at the same time. Your Wine Hopper ticket doesn’t include tasting fees, but these are typically $10 to $20 depending on the winery and many are redeemable with a purchase of wine. It’s an affordable way to visit the region without the bother of driving.
The sun was getting low in the sky as the Wine Hopper bus pulled up to take us home. It’s not a party bus (no drinking on board!) but there may have been an impromptu singalong on the way home: a day exploring Murrumbateman’s finest wines is certainly worth singing about.
Find out more about Wine Hopper on its website or follow Wine Hopper on Facebook or Instagram.
