Get a taste for the rich and varied wine-making traditions across New South Wales, where its wine regions represent an incredible diversity of climate and terroir. From cool alpine vineyards to warm coastal estates, you’re bound to find a tipple to appeal to your palate — as well as a fun new way to savour it. Start with these memorable ways to experience NSW wine regions.
Cycle between the vines in Mudgee
Hop on your bike and take a relaxing ride through the picturesque food and wine hub of Mudgee, a 3.5-hour drive northwest of Sydney. Home to more than 40 cellar doors and 44 grape varietals, Mudgee’s warmer days and cooler nights are great conditions for robust reds and riesling. Less than an hour’s bike ride, or a 10-minute drive, from town is Robert Stein Winery, which also features renowned restaurant Pipeclay Pumphouse on its grounds. Spot pigs grazing happily in the surrounding pastures as you reward yourself with a fine-dining feast after a morning’s ride.
Just a 30-minute pedal, or a 10-minute drive, from central Mudgee is Pieter Van Gent Winery & Vineyard, which also offers accommodation and bicycle hire, and di Lusso Estate, where you can pair Italian varietal wines with moreish trattoria-style dishes. Or relish the ease of leaving your cycling itinerary in the hands of Tour de Vines, which offers a two-night package that includes cycling visits to at least five wineries along with accommodation and bike hire.
Try something different in Orange
On your return journey to Sydney, take a delicious detour to the cool-climate wine centre of Orange, around two hours from Mudgee, and sample cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir and shiraz in Australia’s highest-altitude wine region. Take your pick between fabulous wine experiences at the likes of Ferment, The Orange Wine Centre, where you an ‘tour’ 19 cellar doors in the one spot; Philip Shaw, where local cheeses elevate unconventional wine tastings; Printhie, famous for its multi-award-winning sparkling wine, and Heifer Station, where kids can delight in meeting friendly farm animals while you relax with a shiraz in the adjacent tasting room.
Fly high in the Snowy Mountains
Soar over the Snowy Mountains in style on a private Vine to Wine heli-tour with Truenorth Helicopters, revelling in the ruggedly beautiful alpine views as you buzz between the vines of one of Australia’s premier cold-climate wine regions. In Tumbarumba, you’ll enjoy a delicious lunch and explore leading cellar doors such as Courabyra Wines during this indulgent half-day escape. You can also look forward to taking a refreshing stroll in Braymont Gardens and flying above the vast Tumut State Forest and the fragrant Batlow apple orchards.
Sip your way around the Riverina
Behold NSW’s largest wine-producing region, covering a massive stretch of land northwest of the Snowy Mountains. Renowned for shiraz, chardonnay and botrytis semillon, the Riverina has a rich Italian heritage, with most local winegrowers of Italian descent. Centred around the hub of Griffith, cellar doors to add to your itinerary include the pioneering De Bortoli Wines and Calabria Family Wines. Both wineries were founded by Italian immigrants — learn their fascinating stories on a range of memorable cellar door experiences.
Float above the vines of the Hunter Valley
Soak up the spectacular setting of Australia’s oldest wine region, the Hunter Valley, on a romantic hot air balloon ride with the likes of Balloon Aloft, Beyond Ballooning and Hunter Valley Ballooning, marvelling at the panoramic views as the fog dissipates and the sun rises. After landing, indulge in a champagne breakfast before cruising around the valley, around two hours north from Sydney, where the warm and humid conditions are ideal for quality semillon and shira
Dive deep into winemaking on an exclusive Soil-to-Cellar Experience at the iconic Hunter Valley vineyard Brokenwood Wines. Feel like a VIP with a personal host for the day, a private tasting in the Graveyard Tasting Room, an exclusive winery and vines tour, four-course degustation lunch and a bottle of the Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz to take home.
Pair wine with waterfalls in the Southern Highlands
Discover how natural wonders can be elevated by epicurean delights with Wild Food Adventures on one of its tours through the Southern Highlands region, a 90-minute drive southwest of Sydney. Wines of note produced in this high-altitude, cool-climate zone include chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, cabernet sauvignon and pinot noir; compare local drops at renowned wineries such as Centennial Vineyards, Sutton Forest Estate Wines and Tertini Wines.
On Wild Food’s Waterfalls, Wander, Wine tour, enjoy the happy buzz generated by the release of negative ions from majestic Carrington Falls, which plunges over a rock shelf in Budderoo National Park, topped off with an invigorating wild swim. It’ll literally whet your appetite for foodie stops in Bowral and a visit to boutique winery Artemis Wines in Mittagong, whose owners are known for planting the first pinot noir grapes in the region.
Note to editors: Immerse yourself in the vibrant energy of Sydney and NSW through this story and many more, along with supporting images and videos, available on the Destination NSW Media Centre. Register an account for instant access to the latest Sydney and NSW updates and discover somewhere new!
