Valentine’s Day ideas with local flavour

Ahh, Valentine’s Day: excitement for many, challenging for some.

I can recount many enjoyable occasions, but some far less so. And it goes without saying, the indeed effort one puts in isn’t always reflected of the result achieved! Well, if you have little planned (and need the help) here’s a couple of suggestions to get you through the day. And yes, these options do take into consideration any restaurant-bill-fever you’re dreading to feel.

 

So going completely against the grain, why not make breakfast your special meal of the day? I like this idea, as I love both breakfast and the fact you can get any loved-up commitment out of the way first thing in the morning. If it was me, the choice of destination might be Mano Deli (Manifold Heights) or Newtown Provedore (Pakington Street). Or to be entirely different, why not spend the night at home? With an abundance of take-away option available to order in – like Man Bo, Anh Chi Em or Lou’s Pizza – grab a bottle of wine on your way home from Winepress (or even Dan’s) and enjoy the romantically dimmed-lit lights of your own home. Fingers crossed you can even make it kid-free.

Or, yet slightly left-of-centre here, why not celebrate V-Day on a different day entirely? It falls on a Saturday after all – making it a terrible day to dine out in terms of crowds and social functions – so why not venture out to that romantic restaurant the night before (Friday) or lunch the day after (Sunday)? Finally, how about giving that special someone a good ol’ fashion picnic with a view? Given the weather is set to be very kind – in fact, most ideal being in the mid-twenties – why not pick any great spot along our coastline and pack the rug: there is nothing better than enjoying a local sunset without the restaurant price-tag (and ditto the above take-out suggestions if you need food/wine-options to match). For many though, the day (or night) does still remain about that big the dinner gesture though, so why not try hitting up any of the following options for – hopefully – a spare table spot that may exist: Maestro, The Birch, Baah Lah! or Tulip? And good luck, whatever your day may bring.

 

I felt fortunate to be invited by Bannockburn Vineyards recently, to attend a morning at the winery to taste their new range of 1314 wines. This label acts as their entry-level (or second) range which offers a great glimpse into their more well known, more expensive Estate wines, which the winery has built their huge national recognition on. These are absolutely brilliant value and I can’t think of any better local Geelong wines for their price: all the grapes come from the winery’s own managed vineyards (ie. no fruit is purchased in from elsewhere) making the quality only a slightly lesser step down from their more expensive bottled siblings. The 1314 range includes a chardonnay (lightly oaked and full bodied), pinot noir (earthy, fruit-forward), rosé (bright salmon colour, dry and nicely savoury) and shiraz (white pepper, dark fruited) all from the 2025 vintage. My advice: buy (and drink!) up.

While on the topic of local wine, the 2026 vintage is set to get under way in our Geelong wine region over the coming few weeks. From many accounts, this year’s harvest is set to be great, although most vineyards are at the hands of Bacchus still and the threat of heatwaves, unexpected downpours… hey, we’re in Victoria, remember? Following the reasonably successful ’25 vintage, here’s hoping for another stress-free harvest period of many of our local vignerons and wineries.

Finally – and although a little while away – a wine event that may be worth keeping in the back of your mind, is scheduled at Fantome Wine Bar in a couple of months’ time. The team there are planning a ticketed tasting extravaganza event for all local wine enthusiasts that will bring together over a dozen different importers and distributors, all there to show off their finest wares. The celebrated theme will be the “The Road Less Travelled” in the way of lesser known wine regions, producers and varieties. More to come closer to the date.