Weekend Escapes: The Top Four NSW Wine Regions

By Dan Hutton on March 16, 2014 in Food

Weekends away from Sydney are becoming more about enjoying the simpler things in life, from good company and picture perfect views, to delicious food and, most importantly, great wine.

Sydneysiders are dropping their brunch bookings at busy inner city cafes for much greener pastures on the weekends, with areas like the Hunter Valley, Mudgee and Orange experiencing a huge tourist boom in recent years.

While wine is at the forefront of many sightseeing trips to these regions, the sweeping views of some of New South Wales’ most beautiful plains are reason enough for a visit. With an incredible range of fresh produce and fine restaurants, these regional areas are an ideal place to unwind and indulge in a picturesque setting. Perfect for a getaway with mates or a quiet romantic escape, it’s easy to see the appeal of the diverse New South Wales wine regions, each with a different setting and attracting a different crowd.

New South Wales accounts for 30% of Australia’s $5 billion wine industry, and is only a road-trip away from Sydney, so what’s stopping you from leaving Sydney for a weekend?

With many regions to explore, each with varying wine specialties and completely different settings, New South Wales really does have something for everyone.

Hunter Valley

The Hunter Valley, the most popular wine region in the state, has experienced a huge increase in tourism over the past decade. In fact, more people work in the region’s wine tourism industry now than in its actual wineries. Best described as ‘food wines’, Hunter Valley wines are flavoursome and lower on alcohol content, ideal to enjoy over a meal. Wine is not the only thing to enjoy in the region: golf clubs, day spas and fine dining are all part of the experience too.

Mudgee

For a mix of old favourite flavours alongside new ones, Mudgee is producing some of New South Wales’ most celebrated wines. Nestled within the countryside on an outer rim of hills, Mudgee enjoys more warm sunny days than the Hunter Valley, which lies closer to the coast. Having over 35 wineries and cellar doors, Mudgee is known for its range of wines with personality and strong flavour. With numerous bed and breakfasts, cafes and restaurants, the charming town atmosphere is perfect for a weekend getaway.

Yass Valley

The Yass Valley is one of the state’s most prominent cool-climate wine regions with around 35 wineries operating within the region. Just 30km from Canberra, Murrumbateman is a former gold mining town at the forefront of the Yass Valley food and wine scene. With many rural properties developed into vineyards and boutique wineries, this country setting hosts a number of great events each year including the ‘Murrumbateman Moving Feast’ and the ‘Wine, Roses and all that Jazz Festival’.

Orange

One of Australia’s finest cool-climate wine regions, Orange has over 40 boutique wineries to explore across its charming hills and beautiful gardens. The city has a huge range of distinct whites and expressive reds, so wine lovers will be in their element in this regional gem just four hours west of Sydney. No trip to Orange is complete without a visit to the Botanic Gardens, which feature an impressive collection of plants, heritage orchards and rose gardens set between two billabongs.

New web series Plonk, launched in 2014, sees a TV crew endeavour to create an engaging wine show set across the wine regions of NSW. Created by local filmmakers Nathan Earl and Glen Condie, the five-part comedy series spans across NSW’s signature vineyard scenery and puts a light-hearted spin on the many regional wine and tourism experiences across these popular weekend spots.

You can check out Plonk right here.

You can find out more about each of the wine regions featured in above and by clicking on the following links:

• Hunter Valley
• Mudgee
• Yass Valley
• Orange