The best winery restaurants in NSW

Hunter Valley 

The Hunter Valley may be Australia’s oldest wine region, but its purveyors are forward-thinking when it comes to bottling delicious vintages – and serving equally delicious food.  Muse Restaurant is a Hunter legend, opening 15 years ago on the grounds of Hungerford Hill Winery. The seasonal five-course menu focuses on local ingredients and highlights native flavours, so you could be dining on Nelson Bay bonito with macadamia and finger lime or Pukara Estate lamb seared over ironbark. 

Muse Restaurant, Pokolbin

Margan Restaurant is part of its eponymous winery in Broke and has spectacular views over the dramatic Broken Back Range. Tear your gaze away to enjoy dishes led by seasonal produce plucked straight from the kitchen garden. You can even work up an appetite with a guided tour through the abundant garden and orchard, learning more about their paddock-to-plate philosophy. Native cuisine is on the menu at Kawul, where dishes pay homage to Indigenous culture as well as modern flavours. Get a table on the large balcony where you can look out over Calais Estate as you dine. 

Margan Wines and Restaurant, Hunter Valley

When dining at Bistro Molines on Tallavera Grove Vineyard you’ll feel as though you’ve stepped into the south of France, with a classic Provençal menu served on a vine-covered terrace overlooking the valley. The Gates restaurant at Leogate Estate is another slice of French country living, reminiscent of a rural villa. It’s famous for its black Angus beef, taken from the owner’s herd in northern NSW, and dry aged for six to eight weeks until it becomes mouth-wateringly tender. 

Bistro Molines, Mount View

Bimbadgen means ‘place of good view’ in the local Indigenous language. And that’s what you’ll get from your window seat at Esca Bimbadgen. Part of the Bimbadgen estate, the restaurant is perched high above the vines and serves refined mod-Oz cuisine paired with estate wines. Modern Australian fare is also on the menu at Restaurant Botanica at Spicers Vineyard Estate. It’s one of the few restaurants in the Hunter to offer a dedicated vegan menu, with two-, three- and five-course tasting menus on offer. 

Bimbadgen Winery, Pokolbin

Orange 

Sisters Rock Restaurant is located on one of the Orange region’s highest vineyards, Borrodell, with expansive views of the countryside. As well as award-winning wine, the estate produces cherries, plums, apples and truffles, all of which are incorporated into the restaurant menu. At Printhie Wines, the one-hat restaurant serves a four-course degustation menu that highlights local producers and even uses ingredients foraged from surrounding forests. For something really special, book The Chef’s Table and see the masters at work. 

Printhie Wines, Orange - Credit: Kirsten Cunningham, Printhie Wines

The restaurant at Rowlee Wines specialises in shared dining, so you’ll find your table groaning under dishes like roast chicken crown with fermented chilli, Bangalow pork chop with rhubarb and coal-roasted fish. It’s all about generous hospitality, big views and good times. At See Saw Wine, you can add a seasonal light lunch to your tasting to understand how their wines pair best with food. 

Rowlee Wines in Nashdale, Orange Area

Mudgee 

The one-hat Zin House is part of Lowe Wines, an organic and biodynamic family-owned vineyard just outside of Mudgee. Most of what you’ll see on your plate is sourced from the extensive kitchen garden, orchard and farmland, creating vibrant dishes like Jerusalem artichoke risotto and mandarin and rivermint sorbet. The fine dining Pipeclay Pumphouse, set within Robert Stein Vineyard & Winery, follows a similar ethos. The seasonal six-course menu is driven by produce grown on the farm or sourced from local suppliers. 

The Zin House, Eurunderee

For something more casual, The Barn at Blue Wren Farm promises simple yet delicious dining in a relaxed space that opens out onto a sunny terrace. The menu is Italian-inspired, seasonally driven and designed to be shared. Italian is also on the menu at di Lusso Estate with classic dishes like focaccia, pasta, arancini and wood-fired pizzas. Finish your meal with vin santo, a traditional Tuscan dessert of almond biscotti dipped in sweet appassimento wine. 

Light lunch options include Our Chow café at Burrundulla Cellar Door (the grazing boards are a highlight) or the compact menu at 791 Estate. If you like to pair pizza with your pinot, visit Burnbrae Wines or Naked Lady Wines in nearby Rylstone. 

The Barn at Blue Wren Farm, Eurunderee

Southern Highlands 

The closest wine region to Sydney, the Southern Highlands makes memorable cool-climate vintages. Begin your journey here at Bendooley Estate, a place that you could lose yourself in for days. As well as the cellar door, there are two restaurants and the incredible Berkelouw Book Barn, one of Australia’s most iconic bookshops. The main restaurant sits inside the barn, with tables arranged around a roaring fire. After dark, the cellar door transforms into Leo’s by Night, which celebrates the legacy of patriarch Leo Berkelouw. 

Bendooley Estate, Berrima

At Centennial Vineyards, the menu is inspired by the abundant produce of the Southern Highlands and you can choose to eat on the verandah, in the courtyard or in the romantic restaurant. It’s also famous for its high tea, with delicate sandwiches, pastries and scones paired with the estate’s sparkling wine. Cafe La Palette at Mount Ashby Estate is a quintessential French bistro, with traditional terrines, souffles, duck confit and crème brulee on offer. 

Scenic outdoor setting for wine tasting, Centennial Vineyards, Bowral

Canberra District 

Despite its name, the Canberra District is actually part of NSW. And we’ll gladly claim its delicious wines and tasty produce. Head to Cafe Lerida at Lerida Estate for casual lake-view dining in the lee of the Cullerin Range, just a 30-minute drive from Canberra or Goulburn. If it can be cured, smoked, baked or fermented, it’s done in-house at Poachers Smokehouse & Vineyard. This pretty property offers a fairy-tale farmhouse experience, from the neat rows of grapes to the light-filled dining room. 

Poachers Pantry, Springrange

Brindabella Hills gets its name from the picturesque peaks that surround the winery and the rich granite soil produces award-winning wines. The restaurant is open for lunch on the weekend and public holidays, serving a two-course seasonal set menu paired with house wines and sweeping views. Indulge in wood-fired pizza with classic Italian flavours like potato and gorgonzola or sopressa and white onion at  Four Winds Vineyard and Cellar Door. 

Surveyors Hill Vineyards produces small-batch wines from handpicked grapes and they take the same care with their food. Lunch is served on the weekend and public holidays, with a generous European-inspired menu using lots of produce from their own 100-acre property including olives and olive oil from their 500 trees. 

Four Winds Vineyard Cellar Door, Murrumbateman - Credit: Four Winds Vineyard Cellar Door

New England 

The verdant vineyards of the New England high country produce delicious cool-climate wines. It’s even home to Australia’s highest vines, sitting at 1,320 metres above sea level on Black Mountain. Pair them with the equally impressive local produce at Peterson’s Winery in Armidale, where the restaurant serves up rich flavours like sherry pork cheeks and pan-seared duck breast with beetroot and blackberry. In summer, book for lunch on the weekend and sit outside in the glorious English-style country garden. 

Reedy Creek Estate sits on the northern edge of the region, close to the Queensland border, and has been making wine since the 1960s. Pair your tasting with an antipasto board and Italian sweets, or call ahead to arrange a hearty pasta lunch for your visit. At Topper’s Mountain Wines near Inverell, you can also enjoy a regional tasting board alongside a wine flight. 

Petersons Armidale Winery and Guesthouse, Armidale

Shoalhaven 

There are nine cellar doors in the Shoalhaven region, set close to the sparkling beaches. Start at Silos Estate, just outside of Berry, for a meal at Silos Kitchen. The cosy, rustic dining room has a wood fire in winter and outdoor tables in summer – you can even arrive by helicopter if you’re feeling fancy. Coolangatta Estate is the region’s most awarded winery and you can pair their top drops with a casual lunch or dinner on Saturdays. Expect simple yet delicious dishes like, steak, pot pie, pork belly or a classic ploughman’s board. 

Silos Estate, Berry - Credit: Touchdown Helicopters

You could easily spend a whole day indulging at Cupitt's Estate, between Ulladulla and Milton. Stop for a sip at the cellar door or the onsite microbrewery. Then move on to a stylish lunch in the restaurant, where just about everything on your plate is grown in the kitchen gardens or produced in the on-site fromagerie. For something more casual, grab an outside table at Dusty’s Garden Bar for pizza, platters and fresh seafood. If you can’t bear to leave, check in to one of the new villas. 

Cupitt's Estate, Ulladulla

The Murray & Pericoota 

Trentham Estate is set on the banks of the Murray River and is known for its full-flavoured, fruit-forward wines. The restaurant is a local favourite for its share plates made up of homegrown and local artisan produce. If you’re in a houseboat, you can dock at the property’s private pontoon and walk up the grassy hill to take a seat.  

Trentham Estate Winery, Wentworth

Views of the Murray also steal the scene at Morrison’s Riverview Winery & Restaurant in the pretty region of Perricoota. The seasonal menus are always fresh and interesting, with dishes like Skull Island prawns in coconut curry and lamb backstrap with caramelised yoghurt and baba ghanoush. Make a day of it with the Wharf to Winery tour, which includes a paddlesteamer cruise from Echuca and a two-course lunch. 

Chef serving meals at Morrisons Riverview Winery and Restaurant at Moama in Riverina, Murray - Credit: Visit River Country

Riverina & Tumbarumba 

The Riverina is the largest wine-growing region in NSW, producing more than 60% of our wine grapes. It’s also home to some famous names (like De Bortoli and McWilliam’s), a proud Italian heritage and delicious places to eat. Calabria Family Wines is one of the region’s oldest, established in 1945. Sit down for an indulgent and immersive four-course lunch in the family’s private cellar, where Southern Italian cuisine is paired with their finest drops. 

Calabria Wines, Griffith

At De Bortoli Wines sprawling cellar door in Bilbul, just outside Griffith, you can add a delicious cheese or antipasto board to your wine tasting. They also host a number of special events, like the annual La Tavola Lunga long table lunch in August. It’s a similar story at Yarran Wines and Berton Vineyards, both in the small village of Yenda, where tasty platters are available at the cellar door. 

In nearby Tumbarumba, at the foothills of the Snowy Mountains, the picturesque restaurant at Courabyra Wines serves warming dishes like pot pie, slow-cooked pork ribs and housemade gnocchi that pair perfectly with their cool climate wines. Don’t miss the Batlow apple crumble for dessert. 

Courabyra Wines, Tumbarumba