This was published 1 year ago
Australia wine regions travel guide: There's more than just wine on offer
Lawrenny Estate, a whisky producer set on a stunning 1800s estate, where the grain is grown and whisky produced on-site.
Only a decade or so ago, things were different. Sure, Australian wine regions offered good wine – and they had done so for a long time. For many areas, however, that was it. If you were visiting wine country, you were going to taste wine. Full stop.
You would call past a few solid cellar doors and then you'd be out of there. Aside from the truly big-hitting Australian regions - the Barossas, Yarras and the Hunters - there was little on offer to entice tourists to stay in most wine regions after they had done their sampling.
But things have changed. Wine regions across the country, in almost every state and territory, are booming.
Like attracts like and we like what we're seeing with these areas attracting a slew of venues doing interesting things with food and drink, adding a whole new dimension to places that used to be known predominantly for wine.
We're talking terrific restaurants, cafes, bars and bakeries with quality craft beer breweries and gin distilleries happily co-existing with leading wine labels. Entire scenes that exist outside the boundaries of traditional cellar doors, and yet fit so snugly within the environment of a place known for all that tastes good. How blessed are we?
Here, in a story based on my new guidebook to Australia's favourite wine regions, Ultimate Food & Drink Australia, we profile the perfect matchings to those viticultural attractions, the venues and scenes that are complementing local wine culture while also doing something completely new.
ADELAIDE HILLS, SA
THE WINE Adelaide Hills is absolute perfection for wine-lovers: this region has an exciting blend of traditional, high-end wineries such as Shaw + Smith (shawandsmith.com) and Murdoch Hill (murdochhill.com.au), and the quirky, experimental likes of Jauma (jauma.com) and Unico Zelo (unicozelo.com.au).
THE PERFECT MATCH For the ideal pairing with the more free-wheeling side to Adelaide Hills' personality, look no further than the leafy area around Summertown and Uraidla. Here you'll find The Summertown Aristologist (thesummertownaristologist.com), a friendly eatery with an intensely locavore menu and a list of local, natural wines (that is, experimental wines that forgo the likes of fining, filtration and artificial stabilising agents).
WAIT, THERE'S MORE Near Summertown, check out Lost in a Forest (lostinaforest.com.au), a pizzeria set in an old chapel, where the likes of the "Banh", with the flavours of Vietnamese pork rolls, push the pizza envelope. While you're up here, don't forget Yuki in the Hills (yukiinthehills.com), a surprisingly great Japanese restaurant in Aldgate, and Fred Eatery (fredeatery.com.au), a cafe-cum-homewares-store that does everything right.
ESSENTIALS Adelaide Hills is a 20-minute drive from the Adelaide CBD. The region is at its best in autumn, though venues are open year-round. See southaustralia.com
DERWENT VALLEY, TAS
THE WINE You've barely left the outskirts of Hobart and already there are vineyards: welcome to the Derwent Valley, where there's a low-key confidence to so many of the wine-makers and other local producers. The likes of Stefano Lubiana (slw.com.au), Meadowbank (meadowbank.com.au) and Moorilla Estate (mona.net.au) are making beautiful wine here with little artifice or tinkering.
THE PERFECT MATCH There's a wonderful farm-to-table ethos in the Derwent Valley that's perfectly captured by the Agrarian Kitchen (theagrariankitchen.com), a restaurant, garden and cooking school in New Norfolk. Rodney Dunn and Severine Demanet's iconic establishment has been leading the locavore way in Tasmania since 2008. Here you can learn to cook, learn to grow, or just feast.
WAIT, THERE'S MORE Further up the valley, you have two more legends of the locavore game: Lawrenny Estate (lawrenny.com), a whisky producer set on a stunning 1800s estate, where the grain is grown and whisky produced on-site; and Two Metre Tall (2mt.com.au), an idiosyncratic brewery where the hops are grown locally for the funky, barrel-aged farmhouse ales.
ESSENTIALS The Derwent Valley region begins on the outskirts of Hobart, and extends an hour or so up the river to Ouse. Most venues are open year-round, though busiest in summer. See tasmania.com
MARGARET RIVER, WA
THE WINE Plenty of Australia's finest premium wine is produced in Western Australia's Margaret River region. We're talking class-leading Bordeaux-style reds and Burgundian chardonnays, plus a band of young winemakers tinkering with new grape varietals and styles.
THE PERFECT MATCH Here's the thing about Margaret River winemakers: catch them on the right day and many will admit that when they're off the clock, what they really like to drink is local beer. There are so many breweries to visit in Margaret River – 13, at last count. If you're serious about it, call into Wild Hop (wildhopbeer.com.au), a lakeside brewery with excellent food, and top-quality brews.
WAIT, THERE'S MORE Spare time, too, for Beerfarm (beerfarm.com.au), a cracker of a brewery set in an old dairy shed; Eagle Bay Brewing (eaglebaybrewing.com.au), a family outfit which again combines high-quality beer with great local food; Cheeky Monkey Brewing Co (cheekymonkey.com.au), a sprawling and friendly facility in otherwise wine-soaked Wilyabrup; and Colonial Brewing (colonialbrewingco.com.au), one of the pioneers of the scene.
ESSENTIALS Margaret River is about a three-hour drive south of Perth. Venues are open year-round, though some are closed early in the week. See westernaustralia.com
MCLAREN VALE, SA
THE WINE McLaren Vale lives in the shadow of the Barossa in some ways, and yet is deserving of its own place in the upper echelons of Australian wine-making. The region just south of Adelaide produces excellent reds in particular, varietals such as shiraz, grenache and cabernet sauvignon made by low-fuss winemakers focused on quality instead of prestige.
THE PERFECT MATCH Great news: this lovely region of rolling hills and sandy coastline is also home to a slew of high-quality, low-fuss purveyors of excellent cuisine. Begin your tour of laidback gastronomy at Little Rickshaw (thelittlerickshaw.com.au), a family-run restaurant set in a former blacksmith's workshop. The food runs the gamut of South-East Asian influences, and it's served with a smile.
WAIT, THERE'S MORE Check out The Currant Shed (currantshed.com.au), which is all about good food without too many airs and graces. If you're up for something even more casual, try the beer-friendly eats at the likes of Shifty Lizard Brewing (shiftylizard.com) and Swell Taphouse (swellbeer.com.au). And if you go for a drink at Goodieson Brewery (goodiesonbrewery.com.au) you can bring your own picnic.
ESSENTIALS The McLaren Vale wineries begin on the southern outskirts of Adelaide, and extend to Willunga, about 50 minutes south of the CBD. This is a year-round destination. See southaustralia.com
MORNINGTON PENINSULA, VIC
THE WINE Swoon-worthy Mornington Peninsula, home to no less than a dozen hatted restaurants in the 2023 The Age Good Food Guide, doesn't just have the looks, it also has the product: premium pinot noir and chardonnay that's up there with the country's finest. It's served at cellar doors set among rolling, forest-covered hills and in cute villages; so it's a surprise to discover that the perfect match exists in an industrial estate in Dromana.
THE PERFECT MATCH That industrial estate is home to Dromana Habitat (dromanahabitat.com.au), an artisan precinct every visitor should check out. It isn't exactly pretty, but look what you have here: Bass & Flinders Distillery (bassandflindersdistillery.com), a leading producer of gin, brandy and liqueurs; JimmyRum Distillery (jimmyrum.com.au), a leading distiller of, you guessed it, rum; TwoBays Brewing Co (twobays.beer), which makes exclusively gluten-free, vegan beer; Jetty Road Brewery (jettyroad.com.au), which has a great beer garden.
WAIT, THERE'S MORE Don't forget Little Rebel Coffee Roastery (littlerebel.com.au) for all your caffeinated needs; Mr Little Cider (mrlittlecider.com.au), which does what you would expect; plus cheese shops, seafood stores, and a cellar door.
ESSENTIALS Mornington Peninsula is about an hour south of Melbourne. Opening times for Habitat venues vary. See visitvictoria.com
HUNTER VALLEY, NSW
THE WINE The wine-making history in the Hunter is extensive, and classic producers of shiraz and semillon such as Tyrrell's (tyrrells.com) and Audrey Wilkinson (audreywilkinson.com.au) still exist here. There are also exciting newcomers such as Vinden Wines (vindenwines.com.au) and Comyns & Co (comynsandco.com.au), plus a vastly improved overall experience.
THE PERFECT MATCH For a long time, the food in the Hunter Valley was not great. Fortunately however, that has now changed, and it takes very little effort to dine on the sort of high-end cuisine here that would easily be at home in Sydney. Begin at EXP (exprestaurant.com.au), the Good Food Guide one hatter, where set-menu extravaganzas of perfectly executed food are served around an open kitchen.
WAIT, THERE'S MORE Go on to the two-hatted Muse (musedining.com.au), a very serious, and seriously good, fine-diner. Check out Sebastian (restaurantsebastian.com.au), chef Gianni Moretto's ode to Basque gastronomy. Don't forget Mount Pleasant's new pan-Euro kitchen (mountpleasantwines.com.au). And call into Yellow Billy (yellowbillyrestaurant.com), another one-hatter, a laid-back, wood-fired diner with a cracking wine list.
ESSENTIALS Pokolbin, the main base for Hunter Valley exploration, is about a two-hour drive north of Sydney. Venues are open year-round. See winecountry.com.au
TAMAR VALLEY, TAS
THE WINE If you know anything about sparkling wine, then you know about Tasmania's Tamar Valley. This is the home of Australia's best bubbles (and also some of the world's), made by the likes of House of Arras (bayoffireswines.com.au), Clover Hill (cloverhillwines.com.au), and Delamere Vineyards (delamerevineyards.com.au). Fortunately, the artisanal skill of the residents of this region, near Launceston, doesn't end there.
PERFECT MATCH There are a whole host of talented producers in this area, and you can sample their wares at several venues right in Launceston. Try Saint John (saintjohncraftbeer.com.au), a bar and restaurant that has 17 taps of local and imported craft beer, as well as a huge fridge filled with the best of Tasmanian brewing talent. Call into Havilah (havilahwine.com.au), a wine bar and bottle shop featuring leading Tasmanian natural winemakers.
WAIT, THERE'S MORE Cast your net a little further and you can visit Timbre (timbrekitchen.com), a riverside eatery where local produce is harnessed in deceptively complex fashion. Even further away, visit Callington Mill (callingtonmilldistillery.com), one of Tasmania's newest and largest whisky distilleries, which you're going to be hearing a lot about in coming years.
ESSENTIALS Launceston is accessible via direct flight from Sydney and Melbourne; it's also about three hours by car from Hobart. Most venues are open year-round, though summer is the best season. See tasmania.com
ORANGE, NSW
Credit: James Horan
THE WINE Orange is an agricultural hub that has reinvented itself as a gastronomic hotspot, thanks in no small part to its producers of excellent wine. Cool-climate drops such as chardonnay, riesling and shiraz here are particularly good, made by old-school legends such as Bloodwood (bloodwood.biz), and newcomers like ChaLou (chalouwines.com.au).
THE PERFECT MATCH Without meaning any disrespect to regional Australia, many of our smaller towns haven't always been known for their gastronomic excellence. All that has changed, however, particularly in Orange. This is a regional centre with so much that's good to eat and drink, and often in unlikely places. Racine Bakery (racinerestaurant.com.au) sits in a daggy carpark out the front of a Woollies, which is no place for a high-end purveyor of pastries and bread. And yet, that's what they're churning out here, including the best pain au chocolat this side of Paris.
WAIT, THERE'S MORE While you're here, don't forget the one-hatted Charred (charred.com.au), a high-end restaurant next to a dine-in Pizza Hut but don't hold that against it, and Parrot Distilling Co (parrotdistillingco.com.au), a gin distillery in an industrial estate.
ESSENTIALS Orange, a four-hour drive west of Sydney, tends to be busiest during cherry-picking season, in summer, though is lovely in autumn and spring. See orange360.com.au
YARRA VALLEY, VIC
THE WINE Some of Australia's oldest and most respected wineries are in the Yarra Valley, boasting its own millinery of Good Food Guide toques and marvellously close to Melbourne. We're talking Yarra Yering (yarrayering.com), Yering Station (yering.com) and more. Meanwhile, youngsters such as Jayden Ong (jaydenong.com) and Thick As Thieves (tatwines.com.au) are keeping the region vital and exciting.
THE PERFECT MATCH The Yarra Valley is also, fortunately, home to some of Australia's most exciting distilleries. Four Pillars Gin (fourpillarsgin.com) has to be about the biggest "little" distillery in Australia, an outfit that started modestly and became very successful. Its original headquarters just outside Healesville still offer tastings, gin-making masterclasses and cocktail creation lessons.
WAIT, THERE'S MORE At the other end of the scale, Kinglake (kinglakedistillery.com.au) is a small, family-run distillery producing artisanal whisky, and doing an extremely good job of it. There's also Alchemy Distillers in Healesville (alchemydistillers.com) that's well worth a visit.
ESSENTIALS The Yarra Valley is an hour north-east of Melbourne. Venues are open year-round, and are busiest during holiday periods. See visitvictoria.com
BAROSSA VALLEY, SA
Credit: Sven Kovac
THE WINE Australia's most famous wine region produces its most famous wines, big, cellar-worthy shirazes by the likes of Penfolds (penfolds.com) and Henschke (henschke.com.au) that are up there with the world's finest. There's so much history in the Barossa too, where wine production dates back to the 1850s - though that history doesn't just relate to wine.
THE PERFECT MATCH The Barossa Valley is filled with old-school venues that just keep doing their thing. Begin with Apex Bakery (apexbakery.com.au). This Tanunda stalwart first opened its doors in 1924, and the old wood oven has been burning continuously ever since. The bread here, in particular, is sensational. Continue your old-school wanderings with a visit to Vintner's Bar & Grill (vintners.com.au), one of the Barossa's longest-running eateries, though one with a menu that speaks more of the future than the past.
WAIT, THERE'S MORE While you're here, be sure to call into Greenock Brewers (greenockbrewersbarossavalley.com.au), a craft-beer establishment that taps into the Barossa's German heritage, brewing to a recipe established in 1516.
ESSENTIALS The Barossa Valley is about an hour north-east of Adelaide; most cellar doors and restaurants are open year-round. See southaustralia.com
This story is based on Ben Groundwater's new book, Ultimate Food & Drink: Australia (Hardie Grant, RRP $45) . This useful guide to Australia's wine regions features more than 650 reviews of cellar doors, restaurants, breweries, distilleries and more across every state and territory.
PALATE TO PALETTE: FIVE WINE AND ART MATCHING CELLAR DOORS
LEEUWIN ESTATE, MARGARET RIVER, WA
This West Australian legend is well known for its "Art Series" wines, and its focus on visual beauty extends to the cellar door. Leeuwin Estate has a permanent art gallery on its extensive grounds, featuring more than 150 paintings that have appeared on the wine's labels, by the likes of Arthur Boyd, Sir Sydney Nolan, Lloyd Rees and Albert Tucker. Many of the paintings were specifically commissioned. See leeuwinestate.com.au
TARRAWARRA, YARRA VALLEY, VIC
The art collection at TarraWarra is so extensive that this is almost more gallery than cellar door. The TarraWarra Museum of Art features the private collection of owners Eva and Marc Besen, with works by Charles Blackman and Joy Hester, as well as an ever-changing list of exhibitions and events housed in a building that is an attraction in its own right. See tarrawarra.com.au
MOORILLA ESTATE, DERWENT VALLEY, TAS
You may have heard of the art gallery at Moorilla Estate: it's called MONA, the Museum of Old and New Art, and it's kind of famous. In fact, Hobart's iconic gallery is the main attraction here, sprawling across numerous subterranean spaces, featuring art both shocking and fascinating. It also has a cellar door for owner David Walsh's wine label, Moorilla, which is similarly impressive, if less shocking. See mona.net.au
D'ARENBERG, MCLAREN VALE, SA
The d'Arenberg cellar door doesn't feature art - it is art. This place is unashamed Instagram fodder, a four-storey glass building made to look like a giant Rubik's Cube, the top two levels on a slight rotation. Inside it's just as interesting, with each level riotously and uniquely decorated, housing attractions like a "wine sensory room". Yeah, me either. Still, this place is definitely worth a visit. See darenberg.com.au
PT. LEO ESTATE, MORNINGTON PENINSULA, VIC
Pt. Leo Estate is vast, and vastly impressive. On top of the cellar door, the multiple restaurants and the impressive buildings, there's also a lazy 133-hectare sculpture park on the grounds. There are more than 60 large-scale works here by Australian and international artists, the likes of KAWS, Inge King, Boaz Vaadia and Tomokazu Matsuyama. Bring your camera. See ptleoestate.com.au
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