Australians love their wine. Though we have a reputation as a nation of beer lovers, wine has become an integral part of our relaxed social lifestyle.
We have a huge diversity of wine regions and wine types/styles - everything from beachside wineries to cool climate wines, and our glasses overflow with everything from the hearty Shiraz wines of the Barossa and Clare Valleys to the elegant dry whites of south west Western Australia, regarded as some of the best in the world. And, we’re winning awards and medals in droves at international wine competitions. Our winemakers produce everything from the ever popular Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, to the newer varieties such as Pinot Noir, Viognier, Merlot And Marsanne. You’ll find a huge selection on the wine list of most Australian restaurants.
Wineries are cropping up everywhere – in places as unlikely as the Granite Belt and coastal hinterland of Queensland to the New England Tablelands of NSW. It’s not unusual to find a working, productive vineyard almost anywhere in Australia. Even Alice Springs, in the dry red centre of the country, boasts a boutique vineyard. You can see snow covered vineyards in Orange and vineyards in the dry arid inland, in places such as Cowra and Gundagai. And, surprisingly, we even have a number of coastal wine destinations, such as the Limestone Coast of South Australia, the Mornington Peninsula, the Margaret River and the Shoalhaven coast of NSW.
Food and wine trails are a delicious way to enjoy the best of Australian food and wine. Australia’s wine regions have a laid back atmosphere with fresh produce and fine food. Here, whole afternoons can be spent
chatting over a bottle of wine and then meandering from cellar door to restaurant, then back again.
Apart from wine tastings and cellar door sales, many of our wineries offer food - everything from platters to full-blown gourmet feasts. And, being Australian, we like to offer you more than just wine. Many wineries can satisfy your hunger, put you up at night and even entertain you with music or other cultural events ranging from monthly jazz concerts to spectacular opera and musical events.
You can learn about wine through tasting, talking with the winemakers and touring the facility. Wander through vines, sample regional delicacies in the produce store, experiment with wine and food matching in the wine bar or restaurant, or sit in the sun or beside a river or lake and take in the views and vistas. Australia is full of small boutique wineries which you can find by exploring our wine regions by car or on an organised tour. Many of the owners are also the winemakers and they’ll be only too happy to show you around and talk about their wonderful wines and how they produced them.
Fleurieu Peninsular, South Australia
Be winemaker for a day – at some wineries you can make your own blend. Try your hand at winemaking, be shown around by the winemaker or, if it’s a small family operation, by someone from the family.
Stay overnight in a vineyard retreat or Tuscan-style lodge in the Hunter Valley, NSW’s premier wine region, with eighty wineries and cellar doors and the country’s oldest winery. Learn the secrets of local winemakers at a wine school or spend a weekend perfecting your pasta at a cooking school. Be up early for a hot-air balloon flight, play a round of golf at a five-star course or relax in a stylish day spa.
Cruise the Murray River, visit the Australian outback and learn about our Italian heritage all in one spot. Discover why Mildura is one of Australia’s up and coming wine regions while you immerse yourself in Italian culture, food and wine. Hear stories from winemakers of how many generations have toiled the soil. Find out for yourself why Italian culture in an outback location on a major river is a perfect recipe for great wine.
Sample Wetlands wine on a 1750 hectare property at Banrock Station Wine and Wetland Centre in South Australia’s Riverland, a unique wetland and wine ecotourism experience on the Murray River. Hike the 7 km environmental walking trail and the award winning boardwalk to learn about wetlands conservation Austraian style. Drink the wines and eat the fabulous food surrounded by vineyards, floodplains, wetlands and woodlands.
Hunter Valley Vineyards, New South Wales
Enjoy Opera amongst the vineyards or international concerts in a sensational bushland setting at the magnificent Leeuwin Estate on the Margaret River in Western Australia. The London Philharmonic Orchestra and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa have all performed at the estate’s outdoor concerts. Or, head to the vineyards of the Hunter Valley for Opera on the Vines.
Participate in a Wine Festival. Almost every wine growing region has an annual wine festival where local wine, food and culture can be sampled - such as the Margaret River Wine Festival and the Barossa Vintage Festival. The largest is the biennial Tasting Australia, which showcases the very best the nation has to offer in food, wine and gastronomic hospitality.
Take a long lunch (a day of leisurely food and wine tasting as you crawl from winery to winery) at the Lovedale Long Lunch in the Hunter Valley or the Capes Long Lunch in the Northern Margaret River.
Follow the Great Grape Road touring route, a scenic circuit through the Pyrenees, Grampians and Ballarat wine regions of western Victoria.
Visit a beach winery. The Mornington Peninsula has more vineyards per kilometre than anywhere else in Australia, 174 at last count - and still planting. The region serves up sea views and great food to accompany the wines while you explore the stunning landscapes and rugged coastline. If you fancy an ocean view, organic salad, great olives, local seafood, singing waiters or lunch among the vines, head to where some of Australia’s finest cool-climate wines are produced near the ocean and beach. Or, On the Gold Coast, spend a leisurely day exploring coastal wineries just half an hour from the Gold Coast’s world-class beaches. You may even get to try tropical fruit wine.
Take a self-drive winery tour of the nation’s capital. Explore the country roads that lead you to over 30 cellar doors. Taste the wines, enjoy a meal, take a gumboot winery tour and buy some wine as a reminder of your holiday. See for yourself why some of the world’s best restaurants include Canberra region wines on their wine lists.
Follow a food and wine trail of Western Australia’s main wine regions. Discover the Margaret River wine region’s mouth-watering local produce, from full-bodied wine and flavoursome olive oil to premium cheeses and delicious hand-made chocolates; this is a gourmet food lovers’ paradise, along with ancient limestone caves and magnificent surf breaks. Or, cruise up the Swan River from Perth on a wine cruise and pick up a coach or horse-drawn wagon for a leisurely meander through the vineyards of the Swan Valley.
Hunter Valley Vineyards, New South Wales
Stop for lunch or dinner in a winery. Select an award-winning pinot noir to match the freshest oysters, rock lobster and venison at one of Tasmania’s great winery restaurants such as Meadowbank in the Coal River Valley, Moorilla Estate, just outside Hobart, or Strathlynn in the Tamar Valley.
Explore bushranger territory in northern NSW. New England’s rich rural landscape varies from rolling pastureland to dry outback. The area is crammed with attractions, wineries and historic pioneering towns and plenty of country hospitality.
Travel in a vintage luxury car on a Luxury Liquid History Wine Tour through the Barossa Valley. A classic Daimler takes you on a personalised and exclusive wine tasting tour of five spectacular wineries in one day. Meet with viticulturists and wine educators and taste the red wine known as the best in the world, Penfold’s Grange.
Arrange a private wine tasting in De Bortoli’s Trophy Room at their renowned winery, or attend the monthly one day wine school. At Montalto Vineyard and Olive Grove on the Victorian coast try the olives grown in their own olive grove.
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