The Wine Vault & Sommelier Tastings
Four thousand bottles under perfect climate: rare Penfolds vintages, old-world depth and a private tasting room where our head sommelier opens what most cellars only list.
Bottles cellared
Vault climate
Regions held
Tasting seats
A Cellar Built Like a Vault
Beneath the podium sits a working cellar of some four thousand bottles — a vertical of Penfolds Grange reaching back decades, first-growth Bordeaux, single-vineyard Barossa shiraz and a library of Australian riesling held at a constant 12°C and 70% humidity behind glass walls.
Head Sommelier Aurelia Fontaine hosts tasting flights in the vault's private room: the Australian Icons flight, the Old World Counterpoint, and the Rare Shelf session drawn from bottles that never reach the restaurant list. Every flight is built around the table's palate, with cheeses and charcuterie cut to match.
Discuss with concierge
What the Service Includes
The Rare Shelf
Back-vintage Grange, Hill of Grace and first-growth Bordeaux opened by the glass for vault guests.
Perfect Climate
A constant 12°C at 70% humidity — the same conditions the wines were born in, behind museum glass.
Head Sommelier Hosted
Flights are presented by Aurelia Fontaine's team — context, decanting and theatre included.
18 Regions
Barossa to Bordeaux, Margaret River to the Mosel — flights can be built around a single region or grape.
Cellar Kitchen
Aged cheeses, charcuterie and sourdough arrive course-matched to each pour.
Cellar Purchases
Bottles tasted may be taken home, shipped interstate, or stored in your private vault locker.
The Sequence of the Stay
Choose a Flight
Icons, Old World Counterpoint or Rare Shelf — or commission a bespoke flight around your cellar loves.
Meet Your Sommelier
Your host reads the table's palate and adjusts the lineup before the first cork is drawn.
Taste Below the City
Six pours across ninety minutes in the glass-walled vault room — decanting, context and kitchen pairings.
Take It Home
Buy the bottles you loved, ship them, or hold them in a private locker for your next stay.
Tastings from A$190 per guest
Six-wine flights in the vault room for 2–8 guests; rare-bottle sessions and cellar purchases arranged privately.
Request availability
Every reservation includes
- Six-wine guided flight in the vault room
- Cheese and charcuterie matched to the lineup
- Printed tasting cards and cellar notes
- Access to the rare-shelf list on request
- Private locker storage for purchases
- Priority reservations at Lodge dining rooms
The rarest Australian pours in the country, poured by people who treat wine like biography.
Australian Wine Review
We asked for 'something with a story' and left three hours later with a new favourite region.
Guest review, Auckland
Frequently Asked
Yes — the tasting room welcomes visitors aged 18 and over, subject to availability; resident guests hold priority booking windows on weekends.
Six pours drawn from bottles not listed in the restaurants — back-vintage Grange and first growths — with decanting, cellar notes and a matched cheese course.
Bottles tasted may be purchased, shipped anywhere in Australia or held in a private vault locker until your next visit.
The vault room seats up to eight; larger groups book the adjacent cellar annex for up to sixteen with two sommeliers presenting.
Pairs Well With
Book a Vault Tasting
Name your date and your palate — the sommelier team will build a flight around it and confirm within the day.