★★★★★ ★★★★★ Recommended Premium wine tasting and lunch for 2 Kay 12 June 2026 We really enjoyed our wine tasting and food at Contentious Character on the Kingston Foreshore - a seasonal platter to take us through 8 wines, then a delicious meal, with another glass of wine! Our service staff were attentive and knowledgeable about the wines, which definitely added to our enjoyment of the experience. Contentious Character sets itself apart from the usual wineries and restaurants with a quirky sense of humour on display. For example, wine labels such as “Life’s a Cabernet” and “The good, the bad and the bubbly”. Customer Experience Hi Kay, your feedback is important to us, and we’re so glad to hear that you enjoyed your experience! 14 June 2026
★★★★★ ★★★★★ Not Premium wine at all Cathy 13 May 2024 We were extremely disappointed to find we were not going to the winery, but a cafe style restaurant, in the back of Fyshwick. And then for the amount we paid per couple, in the quality and quantity of the tasting, we were left to sit at the bar because they were so busy, and we understand that it was an exceptionally busy day being Mother’s Day weekend, but we had a booking just like most others there that day. The wines were nowhere near vintage! (Last year’s harvest is not vintage) the tapas were mere morsels of food, placed out on a board all together, that is not tapas! that is a sample board. The pouring of the wine was so minuscule per person, there wasn't enough wine in any glass, to take at two sips to get a true taste of the wine we were supposed to be tasting. The two-course meal, we had was very average and extremely slow, some had fish and chips because they ran out of the chicken schnitzel, and others the lamb backstrap, it was so tough it was almost inedible. But when we notice that a group of 4 teenage girls sit down next to us, (just as we were ordering our lunch, after the tasting) they get drinking, order food and more drinks! And then consume their food and drinks, all before we get our lunch order. That’s when we realized, we were expecting nice a wine tasting and lunch, only to find we ended up in a weekend drinking spot for Instagramers. Cassie Hi Cathy, thanks so much for your feedback. I am sorry to see that your experience was not enjoyable. We are always looking for ways to improve so I really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience 16 May 2024
★★★★★ ★★★★★ Recommended Lunch and Wine, perfect combo Kylie 9 May 2024 Great atmosphere, food was delicious and wine was superb. Cassie Hi Kylie, we appreciate your feedback, and we're delighted to hear that you had a positive experience! 13 May 2024
★★★★★ ★★★★★ Recommended A perfect wine and dine experience Nina 4 March 2024 Our experience of lunch with wine pairing at Contentious Character Winery was totally lovely! The three course lunch couldn’t be faulted and the wines are divine! Lovely customer service and a beautiful setting. Keerat Hi Nina, what a lovely photo. It is always great to hear about the wonderful experiences our customers have, thank you for sharing! 4 March 2024
★★★★★ ★★★★★ An underwhelming experience for what it cost Ann 7 January 2024 On a recent trip to Canberra my husband and I were keen to try some wineries and wines of the region and had a red balloon voucher (that was initially given as a hot air balloon experience) so we decided to use it to have what we thought was going to be a primo wine tasting and lovely winery lunch, alas, it was not to be. The tasting wasn’t even their best wines but a mid range selection and the lunch was 2 x pizzas and 1 side + dessert (which they HAD warned us about being a ‘limited menu’ for the Xmas period.) While nothing was particularly awful it wasn’t overly great either (wines, food or service) but it was certainly not worth the $260 voucher we traded it for. We priced it out off the menu and could have just rocked up, done the tasting and had lunch for less $$$ so we felt like it was a bit of a rip off. That plus they stuck us in a claustrophobic corner two windows behind the stunning vineyard view while we could see they had seating on their verandah which would have been much nicer as it was a beautiful day. No-one bothered to ask us about our wine knowledge and experience so we got the most basic info which was disappointing for 2 wine enthusiasts looking to learn and find something new and wonderful. In future they’d be well advised to at least offer their primo wine range, especially if they can’t offer a full food menu and also think about where they seat guests. They would also do well to take the time to find out the customers past and current wine knowledge and experience and adjust their spiel accordingly. Overall, a very average experience and even though we felt like the voucher was wasted we were grateful that at least we hadn’t paid for the experience ourselves. In saying that, ALL of these vouchers are paid for by someone with actual money and after using a few it’s clear to see that even though the experience you sign up for has been more than paid for you get treated like a 2nd rate customer. Red Balloon maybe needs some incentives for their collaborators to discourage this from happening and unless or until they do I can’t say I’ll be buying anyone an experience through them again. Cassie Hey Ann, thanks for your feedback. Great customer experience is incredibly important to us so we're deeply sorry to hear your experience has fallen short of expectation. We appreciate you bringing these concerns to our attention. 17 January 2024
★★★★★ ★★★★★ Recommended Gorgeous venue and great meal Melissa 12 November 2023 Best meal I’ve had in Canberra - very generous package
★★★★★ ★★★★★ Great Experience Peter 3 September 2022 A very enjoyable time and a terrific idea combining the wine tasting with cheese board and then a lovely 2 course meal
★★★★★ ★★★★★ A wonderful food and wine experience! Katie 26 August 2022 We had a fabulous lunch and wine tasting experience at Contentious Character!
★★★★★ ★★★★★ This is a truly great experience Peter 4 July 2022 Thank you Emily for showing us a great time, the wine is exceptional, the views are beautiful and the staff are very knowledgeable and truly love what they do. Perfectly paired whines to food and hats off to the chef! I will use this as a benchmark for my expectations for any future dining. We signed up to the cellar and will be back in numbers.
★★★★★ ★★★★★ Great atmosphere and lovely staff Annette 7 April 2022 The staff and service along with the food and wine made up an excellent experience. I would highly recommend treating yourself to this experience. My husband and I went for his birthday and we both loved the atmosphere and grounds. The wine tasting was fun and informative and the food was perfectly paired. A great memory for his birthday celebrations.