Shimmering ... the over-water villas at Crittenden Estate.
The region is rightly famous for its wine but David Reyne finds there are other delights on offer.
If you sit on the deck at the Merricks General Wine Store you can look through a row of trees, across the green paddocks, to see a view of Western Port Bay shimmering in the distance.
Stay long enough and there's every chance this capricious stretch of water will turn gnarly before your eyes and a vicious southerly will belt in from Bass Strait to blow the froth off your caffe latte.
As you scarper indoors, you might just notice a slope of vines across the road clinging defiantly to the hill, bravely enduring the rugged maritime conditions.
According to celebrated Mornington Peninsula winemaker Kathleen Quealy, it's the sea's influence that gives the peninsula its international reputation for pinot noir.
"Because we're by the sea we have a long growing season and no frosts," she says. "Pinot's flavour should enchant. It should be like sliding your foot into a slipper — and this climate makes our pinot more voluptuous, more sensual."
Sensual? Voluptuous? It's no surprise wine lovers swarm to the peninsula for October Pinot Week.
With so many pinot-related tastings, dinners and events, there's a risk, though, that visitors will spend the week nose down in a glass, oblivious to the region's other sublime delights.
Merricks General Wine Store is a case in point — ideal for travellers and wine buffs alike. The cellar door has wine from three labels — Elgee Park, Baillieu Vineyard and Quealy — but you'll also find a welcoming, timber-lined bistro particularly good for fat muffins, coffee and an inspired menu.
As you continue your pinot journey, and if there's a swell running, you'll see bomboras storming up Western Port Bay, their wind-battered crests almost obliterating the view of Phillip Island.
For those travelling with a wine aficionado, a visit to Ocean Eight might just ease the burden of the endless diatribe of grape-related facts you're having to endure. Just getting to this spectacular winery is a pleasure.
Tucks Road winds its way beneath a canopy of gums, across a ridge with heartbreaking views of valleys studded with olive groves, plump cattle, dams and designer mansions.
The entrance to Ocean Eight is lined with London plane trees, which flank the driveway as it dips towards the winery. A magnificent American ranch-style building of stone and timber houses the winery and cellar door.
The winemaker, Michael Aylward, is happy to run what he calls a "boutique vineyard with a cult following" but since he's just been awarded the Young Gun of Wine for 2011, that attitude might change.
Should the wine wizard in your midst be having conniptions over the quality of the just-bought pinot, dinner at a restaurant that will serve you a bottle of the same might help bring them under control.
Having just received a chef's hat in The Age Good Food Guide for the second year in a row, it's curious why Ten Minutes by Tractor remains just beneath the radar.
An avenue of Manchurian pear trees, lit from beneath by a row of lights, guides you to the front door. It's a festive welcome that will have you wondering if you've somehow stumbled upon Christmas ... in Europe. Inside it's elegant - big-city style with country grace.
The wine list is as fat as a phone book, while the menu reads as if the chef has spent the morning in the back paddock wrangling rabbit, goat and venison and plucking tufts of watercress and saltbush.
The drive to Crittenden Estate is brief. Its been producing pinot noir and chardonnay for almost 30 years but the business extends far beyond its cellar door.
The Stillwater restaurant serves superb food. Willows weep at the edge of the lake. Three villas reach out across the water. Even the ardent pinot tragic will find their focus dragged from the contents of their glass to be mesmerised by the surroundings. Spend the night here and you'll sleep in the arms of Morpheus only to rise to the gentle quacking of ducks heralding the new dawn of your pinot pilgrimage.
FAST FACTS
Merricks General Wine Store, Ocean Eight and Ten Minutes by Tractor will all host events during October Pinot Week, a series of wine and food-related activities from October 8 to 16. See mpva.com.au.
Merricks General Wine Store, 3460 Frankston-Flinders Road, Merricks. Open seven days from 9am-5pm. Phone 5989 8088; see mgwinestore.com.au.
Ocean Eight Vineyard and Winery, 271 Tucks Road, Shoreham. For opening dates and times phone 5989 6471. See oceaneight.com.au.
Ten Minutes by Tractor, 1333 Mornington-Flinders Road, Main Ridge. Open for lunch, Wednesday to Sunday, and dinner, Thursday to Saturday. Phone 5989 6080; see tenminutesbytractor.com.au.
Lakeside Villas at Crittenden Estate are at 25 Harrisons Road, Dromana. Phone 5987 3275; see crittendenwines.com.au.
Sign up for the Traveller Deals newsletter
Get exclusive travel deals delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up now.