Paringa Estate may not have the big money bling of some winery restaurants nearby, but its recently refurbished dining room overlooking raked vines in a bucolic corner of Red Hill is supremely comfortable and compact. Chef Adam Beckett’s food is quietly impressive, too. It’s as assured and refined in its own way as the McCall family’s impeccable award-winning wines which have guided Paringa since the 1990s.

With the winery itself visible through the windows, there’s a deep bench of talent at the tasting table to guide you through the pinot noir, chardonnay, shiraz and pinot gris, and when you take your seat at the restaurant, the service rarely misses a beat.

Whether you opt for two or three courses, you want to try Paringa’s smoked wallaby tartare with wasabi creme fraiche, the artfully plated roasted duck with crisped taro, and whiting fillets which are deftly layered across creamy potato and a wakame fish mousse.

Beckett cuts loose with playful desserts, notably olive oil carrot cake gussied up with vanilla frosting, carrot orange gel and leaves of blazing red rosella.

Best of all, Paringa does all this without denting your budget. It’s a real find.

Must eat dish: Whiting and Jensens Red potato