Aussie vineyards where the food is as good as the wine
<p>Sure, vineyards are more commonly known for their wine, but the new breed of cellar doors are offering visitors some of the best food in the country.</p>
<p><strong>1. Margan, Hunter Valley</strong></p>
<p>With a list of awards as long as your arm, Margan is easily one of the finest vineyard restaurants in the country. There’s a big focus on sustainability and the restaurant produces up to 90% of its own fruit and vegetables in a one-acre kitchen garden. Free range chickens are happily pecking around the property, buzzing bee hives produce honey and there are rows of olive groves for housemade olive oil. The menu is seasonal, innovative and unfailingly delicious.</p>
<p><strong>2. Leeuwin Estate, Margaret River</strong></p>
<p>One of the foundation vineyards in the Margaret River, Leeuwin Estate now offers a fantastic on-site restaurant that looks over the rolling lawns and karri trees. Food is fresh and contemporary, with dishes like grilled Kimberley prawns or freshwater Blue Ridge marron in a bisque with crème fraiche. You can take one of the restaurant’s Wine and Food Flights to match each dish to a glass of the perfect wine, including the chardonnay that Wine Spectator magazine called the ‘best white wine Australia has ever produced’. The estate has also become something of a cultural hub, hosting concerts and boasting an impressive art gallery.</p>
<p><strong>3. Appellation at The Louise, Barossa Valley</strong></p>
<p>Over 85% of everything on the menu at Appellation comes from the Barossa Valley or South Australia. The menus vary nightly to take advantage of the best produce that arrives that day. Diners can create their own four course ‘menu tour’ from a list that includes dishes like chilled soup of ripe tomatoes, saffron, Kangaroo Island marron and sweet pea; carpaccio of wild caught venison, red hurricane lentils and horseradish; or Hutton Vale lamb, white eggplant purée, pickled summer vegetables and Moroccan spice. It’s so popular, people have been known to reserve a table up to 18 months in advance.</p>
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<p><strong>4. Muse, Hunter Valley</strong></p>
<p>As part of the Hungerford Hill winery in Pokolbin, in the Hunter Valley, Muse offers contemporary Australian cruising that makes the most of fresh local produce. It currently holds two chefs hats in the prestigious Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide and chef Troy Rhoades-Brown was recognised by Delicious magazine as the 2015 Unearthed Next Gen Chef for his rising talent. Go a la carte or choose the tasting menu for a sample of the best Muse has to offer.</p>
<p><strong>5. Cullen Wines, Margaret River</strong></p>
<p>Cullen was one of the first vineyards in the Margaret River that offered visitors food to go with their wine, starting with simple cheese platters, pastries and soups back in the mid 1970s. Things are a little fancier now, with an on-site biodynamic garden producing fruit, vegetables, herbs and native ‘bush tucker’ that will be picked by the chef right before service. The menu is deceptively simple and dishes respect the ingredients, rather than overpowering them.</p>
<p>Have you ever been to any of these incredible Australian vineyards? Or do you think there’s one we should have included on the list?</p>
<p>Please let us know in the comments below.</p>
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