Rule-breaking winemaking and a hyper-local food culture thrive in the Adelaide Hills, most of it an Uber ride from the city. From the European bistro leanings of Thelma in Piccadilly, to Kane Pollard’s luminous Ondeen and the multifaceted multi-business offering at Lot. 100, there’s serious talent in those hills. Some of Australia’s oldest vines are found in McLaren Vale on the Fleurieu Peninsula, but its food scene is anything but archaic. A long lunch in the Coriole’s cottage never runs short on charm, while Karena Armstrong’s Salopian Inn is as worth the trip as a bottle of old-vine grenache. For surf club vibes with top-tier wine, visit Silver Sands Beach Club overlooking Aldinga Beach.

Mudgee sits surrounded by the farms and vines of the Central Tablelands. Tinja Farm is a must, either to sip biodynamic drops at Lowe Family Wine Co or feast on farm-grown fare at The Zin House restaurant. Top-quality Tablelands’ produce handled without fuss makes The Barn at Blue Wren Farm a local favourite. Dairy country meets pristine beaches in the emerging wine region of Shoalhaven on the south coast. Cupitt’s Estate is a triple threat: a restaurant, winery and brewery in one (with a fromagerie to boot). Shoalhaven is also a gateway to Australia’s Oyster Coast.

The Grampians is famed for hiking, but its wine is also worth the hike, if only for a visit to the Royal Mail Hotel. The fine-dining clout of Wickens, fed by the Royal Mail gardens, finds its match in a wine cellar holding 30,000 bottles. Sommelier-led tours and tastings are on offer for anyone keen to stickybeak. For a more casual bite, Best’s Wines in the micro region of Great Western builds platters of local charcuterie, olives, cheese and bread to pair with its acclaimed wines. The boutique wine region of Beechworth is richer for the presence of Provenance, where Michael Ryan and Jeanette Henderson serve a Japanese-ish menu in a Gold Rush bank. At the bar upstairs, sip cocktails starring the couple’s Beechworth Bitters; or swing by The Stanley Pub, where co-owner Ryan lends foodie cred to country cooking.

The East Coast of Tasmania delivers vines, views and produce with equal aplomb. Cool-climate maritime pinots and rieslings cry out for local seafood; try ocean-fresh fish and chips at The Fish Van at Triabunna, or a lobster roll on The Lobster Shack deck in Bicheno. The scenic cellar door at Devil’s Corner has food offerings and wine for all budgets, but the off-season Moulting Lagoon oyster tours are a highlight, starting up again from May.

It might not be your first thought for a wine trip, but don’t forget the Sunshine State. The Granite Belt around Stanthorpe is, bizarrely, adept at cool-climate wines, with some of Australia’s highest vines (it has even been known to see an odd dusting of snow). Pick from Ballandean Estate’s ‘Strange Birds’ range of rare varietals for dinner at BYO-only Essen, where Clarissa Pabst mines the rich farming land all around.