Jayden Ong Winery & Cellar Bar

When was the last time a waiter brought you a hot water bottle and a knee rug – as well as a menu – at a restaurant? Such a welcome from the cellar door team knocks the chill off the air in this hangar-like space, crowded with wine tanks and barrels. In summer, the kitchen is a marquee in the forecourt, where produce from small growers is turned over charcoal and wood.

Come winter, a bare-bones set-up inside produces salt-speckled slabs of oily focaccia and warming braises such as beef cheeks, soft mash and gravy. Roasted chicken Maryland is brightened with green olives, leeks and white wine, but the true cool-weather highlight is potato gratin, a parmesan-showered tranche of golden carby goodness.

A leather-bound wine list holds heavy-hitters such as Krug and Chateau d’Yquem, Yarra Valley locals Gembrook Hill, plus excellent house wines.

Good to know: Don’t have a designated driver? Book seats on Hop It, a mini-bus service that meanders through the valley.

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