With almost 2000 wineries listed on the Localista guides, any wine-lover in Australia is spoilt for choice when it comes to variety and quality. Australian wine has spent hundreds of years building its reputation and securing its identity, finding itself up there with the most famous and highly-regarded wine regions of the world, such as in France, Italy, Spain, or California. The Australian climate is suited to wine production because of the general warm temperature and dry weather, and each region features differences that make it well worth it to travel around and taste the varieties found across the country.
The most famous wine region in Australia is undoubtedly the Barossa Valley. An hour from Adelaide’s centre, you’ll find over 150 wineries and 80 cellar doors. We immediately think of the internationally-recognised shiraz when picturing the Barossa, known for its bold flavour, with notes of dark fruits made more available by the microclimates of the region. Wines are available over a full spectrum of price, from luxury to affordable, so there’s no excuse to miss out on trying some of the most sought-after wine in the world. The Seppeltsfield Winery hits the mark for us in terms of a quirky but simultaneously high-quality winery experience with their Taste Your Birth Year Tour through the Centennial Cellar, containing a lineage of wines dating back to 1878. Staying at the nearby Lodge at Seppeltsfield is a good idea; it’s only a five-minute walk from the estate and contains a pool and barbeque for use alongside the acres of land to explore.
Further east, Australia’s Hunter Valley is another premier wine region awarded internationally. Often dubbed ‘the birthplace of Australian wines,’ the Hunter Valley is just as old and extensive as the Barossa. Found to the northwest of NSW’s Newcastle, the region contains over 150 wineries and 2500+ hectares of land. Although the Hunter Valley was one of the first Australian regions to grow chardonnay, they are now known best for their semillon. As their premiere wine, the semillon thrives, again due to the warm climate allowing the grapes to completely ripen and give full-bodied flavour. This area contains three distinct sub-regions, with varying microclimates and soil, and so we’d recommend a tour of the area to make the best of your trip, with 25 distinct tours in the Localista guides. Hunter Valley Helicopters offer a tour from the air over two hours for a truly glamourous experience, with your designated driver sorted.
To the west, the Margaret River region of WA is equally famous for its gorgeous landscape and surfing spots as for its wine. This region is one of the youngest in the world, but that means nothing in terms of the international attention their wines receive. The climate, referred to as ‘Mediterranean maritime,’ is named for the effect of the coastal perimeter of the region. It is often compared to the French Bordeaux region, and is unique to other Australian wine regions. The chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon are standouts. With 90+ cellar doors, a tour or trail is also the way we’d recommend you tackle Margaret River, as the layout of the wineries is generally close. There are many to choose from, depending on your wine preference—we recommend the Halliday’s Long Weekend Wine Tasting Trail, a tour through the wineries nominated as standouts by the well-respected Halliday Wine Companion Awards. Just remember to bring a skipper!