Tucks

There are no stupid questions at Tucks. In fact, questions are encouraged.

Montalto’s younger sister (who’s vines happens to be years older), is all about deconstructing what it means to be a wine “connoisseur”.

Set on a 25-acre lot, this Red Hill winery has its eyes firmly set on the millennial market. From the tactile, brightly-labelled wine bottles and ‘YAY’ wine rack, right down to their dog-friendly hashtag (#pupsattucks).

At Tucks you leave your wine snobbery (and bias) at the door in favour of informal blind tastings and scribbling notes down on the wipe-down tables in coloured textas. And you might even walk out a chardonnay drinker.  

“Yeah, it's a funny thing,” says Tucks’ operations manager Luke Gooley. “If you were eating at a fine dining restaurant, you would never be expected to have the vocabulary of, you know, a well-renowned food critic, but everybody for whatever reason, thinks they should be able to articulate how a glass of wine tastes, which is crazy.

“We try to leave that idea out. It’s supposed to be a fun experience. We're not going to have a huge discussion about the structure of the wine, unless you want to.”

For Tucks it’s about luring the next gen of wine lovers into an unstuffy, approachable setting.

“Wine is cool,” Luke Gooley says as he walks us through the wine store and out to the covered pergola area. “Talking about wine, understanding wine, getting some dinner table conversation happening. Young people are getting into wine, which is great for us."

With its no-fuss layout, laid-back decor (think big tables, bench seats and plywood stools) and 'pets welcome' policy, Tucks serves as more than just a handy locale to deal with the overflow of visitors that flock to Montalto each weekend, and the views are even more spectacular.

Head outside and you’ll find plenty of vantage points to admire 180-degrees of rolling hills and vines, while you sip a crisp glass of Savagnin and wait your turn on the “Instagram” swing.

Like the venue, food is a relaxed affair with a grazing style menu to ‘tuck’ into while you sample the wines – either at a communal table on the outside terrace or out on the lawn.

Tucks is open for tastings and lunch Friday to Sunday. Walk-ins are welcome. For larger groups, they take wine tasting bookings and offer a set menu (wine tasting included).