Named in honour of the wine grapes plucked from the vines it overlooks, Merlot Restaurant Bar is the onsite restaurant where cuisine, comfort and conversation are the key ingredients. With a pared-back interior scheme by The Stella Collective and floor-to-ceiling windows that frame both the vineyard and refurbished courtyard, it’s a place where a passion for everything delicious about the High Country comes to the table.

Sommelier Jacquie Lewis, formerly of Merivale, Lancemore Lindenderry Red Hill and Ducasse in Paris, brings her expertise to the wine list by celebrating the region’s finest artisanal producers and benchmark wines from both Australia and abroad. Cocktails from Melbourne’s famed Everleigh bar join the list, as do spirits from local distilleries and beers from the best craft breweries in northeast Victoria.