What a fabulous start to 2017………Diesel welcomed back Tilly who is such regular and one very special girl. It was Hello to Mooch, Joey and Freud for their first Doggy Winery.

Tour. With the erratic January weather it was a welcome change to have pawfect food, wine and walking weather with a slightly overcast 22 degrees, it doesn’t get any better.

As we set off from Port Melbourne, Mooch and Joey looked right at home sitting up on their window seats on Bella.

Our new itinerary for this tour was a hit with our regulars and newbies……..First stop, morning tea at the incredibly picturesque Burnham Beeches followed by a lovely walk through the gardens before getting back on Bella for leisurely drive up the Dandenongs.

A guided wine tasting with homemade wood fired bread and olives by Murray from Whispering Hills, outdoors in the vines was a wonderful way to start our lunch. The pooches decided a movie (Shrek no less!), pupcorn and a massage from Sharon was the way to go, so off they trotted to Bella for their R&R. Freud was certainly in chill out mode, he missed the movie, napping most of the time. Poor Joey was so exhausted, he fell asleep and then fell off his seat, that ended his dream abruptly!

The conversations over lunch were off and running with some ‘six degrees of separation’ moments making for phone numbers being swapped and new friends being made.

Our last stop for the day was at the entertaining and amazing winery, Elmswood Estate. Thanks John for your knowledgeable narration of the wines.

Congratulations to Lara on winning the Armadale Cellars Buster Pinot Noir,  for the ‘mirror’ photo of Tilly, with a special treat to  Tilly for being the centre of attention.

As the guests walked away at Port Melbourne, laughing and making sure they had the correct contact details, Sharon and I both commented, that is a mark of a wonderful day!