During the cooler months, Australia’s food and wine scene heats up with a range of delectable winter warmers on offer throughout the country.
Australian Gourmet Traveller picks Australia’s great wine drives
Australian Gourmet Traveller has announced their pick of
Australia’s top wine drives. From the peaks of the Blue Mountains to the bottom of the Barossa Valley, Australia’s wine country is ideal for exploring, with plenty to eat, drink and see along the way.
Head straight through the Blue Mountains and into the sun-soaked hills of rural New South Wales for a unique and unforgettable wine drive in Mudgee, New South Wales. Flourishing with local produce and delivering some of the country’s finest boutique wines, Mudgee is a wine-lovers paradise just three hours from Sydney.
To visit the Barossa is to taste the good life – world-famous Barossa Shiraz and Eden Valley Riesling plus other premium wines, regional produce and acclaimed restaurants make this a must-visit for any food lover. With rolling hills, scenic turns and manicured vineyards, the Barossa is made for driving!
Victoria’s critically acclaimed eateries: a “destination” not to be missed
Regional Victoria has recently experienced the rise of an elite group of eateries, which have generated such acclaim they have become a destination in themselves – and a key reason to travel to Victoria’s beautiful countryside.
With its atmospheric cellar setting and the exquisite Italian influenced season menu created from local produce, Stefano’s is often the first thing that springs to mind when considering a holiday to Mildura. In awarding the restaurant a highly sought after one chef’s hat ranking, the 2009 Age Good Food Guide observed that Stefano’s has “put Mildura on the culinary map with an eponymous restaurant that inspires folk to make the long dusty drive from Melbourne and interstate”.
Idyllically located at the base of Mount Sturgeon, at the southern tip of western Victoria's Grampians Ranges, Royal Mail Hotel has expanded into one of the hottest regional eating destinations in Australia, with major food critics hailing it as “a unique gastronomic destination” (John Lethlean, Epicure, The Age) and “the kind of restaurant travellers would build itineraries around” (Gourmet Traveller magazine).
Make your own blend at Wynns Coonawarra Estate
Nestled in the heart of Coonawarra (400km south east of Adelaide), is the famous Wynns Coonawarra Estate winery. Renowned worldwide as a maker of fine Australian wine, visitors to the Wynns Cellar Door can now become a part of this famous winemaking team with the Wynns Make Your Own Blend Experience.
The first of its kind in Coonawarra, the Make Your Own Blend Experience is an interactive and fun wine experience for anyone who has wanted to be a winemaker for a day. Guests are invited to the Make Your Own Blend laboratory to try their hand at making their own wine from Cabernet, Shiraz and Merlot varieties. Plus at the end of the day, guests can take their finished wine home in a personalised bottle, to share with family and friends.
Indulge yourself at the Mornington Peninsula this winter
Winter is the perfect time to escape to the Mornington Peninsula, located in picturesque Southern Victoria, just one hour by car from the Melbourne CBD. From 1 June to 31 August, the region’s leading wineries and restaurants have come together to tempt travellers with exciting winter adventures. Throughout the Peninsula’s ‘Winter Indulgence Season’, you can savour delicious wines from celebrated vineyards, dine on regional produce at outstanding restaurants, wander amongst beautiful winter gardens, or simply retreat to one of the region’s unique accommodation offerings.
New Gold Coast day tour: Catch a Crab and visit the Tropical Fruit World
Two Gold Coast tourism icons, Catch a Crab and Tropical Fruit World, have combined to form the ultimate nature-based day tour. With exclusive access to the authentic Birds Bay Oyster Farm, the new tour offers travellers the opportunity to trap live crabs, try yabby pumping, hand-feed the friendly wild pelicans and dine on freshly cooked crab.
Plus, a visit to Tropical Fruit World – an interactive farm based attraction offering adventure, fun and education – is also now included on the itinerary. Home to the world’s largest variety of tropical fruits, visitors can purchase the fresh tropical fruits and mouth-watering lunches, not to mention the famous natural skincare and gourmet products.