If you plan your travels around food and wine, you’ve come to the right place. New South Wales has many well-trodden culinary destinations – places like the Hunter Valley, Orange, Mudgee and the Southern Highlands. But there are also a number of exciting up-and-coming trails, allowing you to sample everything from cool-climate wines to fresh-off-the-tree fruit, smoked meats and artisanal bread. From New England to the Hilltops, here are six regions to tantalise your travel tastebuds.  

New England 

Begin your road trip in the historic New England town of Tenterfield, 700km north of Sydney. Among the region’s innovative growers is Zappa Wines, which not only makes applauded cool-climate drops but also grows vegetables and produces beef. Head to the cellar door for tastings, or enjoy a picnic among the vines.  

Nearby is Splitter’s Swamp Vineyard, a small winery producing shiraz, cabernet sauvignon and merlot; open by appointment only.  

Further south, toward the major New England town of Armidale, visit Deano’s Springwater Smoked Trout and try your hand fishing for trout and salmon. Then stop by The Super Strawberry near Glen Innes, for old-fashioned milkshakes.  

Sparkling honey mead steals the show at 2 Wild Souls, its range infused with native Australian botanicals. Close by in Inverell, you can learn how olive oil is made and taste spice blends at Olives of Beaulieu.  

Outside Armidale you’ll find Petersons Guesthouse & Winery, whose cellar door operates out of the original homestead stables. Sip semillon or merlot here or on the lawn, then check in to one of the sleek suites. Back in town, Armidale’s Farmers’ Market (on the second Sunday of each month) is a great place to meet growers and stock up on produce.  

Award-winning gin, vodka, beer and whiskey are on the menu at Dobson’s Distillery, a 30-minute drive south of Armidale. Sip your tipple with a side of jazz in the bar, or linger in the restaurant. 

Nearby, try Merilba Estate’s wine range at the cellar door or in the on-site restaurant – be sure to take away a few bottles of the estate’s New England Cider, made using local fruit.  

Barrington Coast 

Around 300km north of Sydney, the verdant Barrington Coast region on the mid-North Coast is blessed with bountiful producers and growers – there’s even a Great Lakes Food Trail uniting providores.  

Going at your own pace? Start your culinary road trip near Buladelah at Yeo Farm, where you can tour the property and purchase organic lamb.  

Nearby is Old Inn Road Vineyard, bottling everything from verdelho and chambourcin to dolcetto grapes. You’ll also find their wine at regional markets.  

Linger in community-operated Brush Turkey Café for a slice of lemon myrtle cheesecake before heading to Great Lakes Paddocks. Along with vineyards, the estate raises Angus cattle, and grows finger limes and olives.  

Dairy fanatics will want to visit Burraduc Farm, which raises buffalos in the Myall Lakes region. The mozzarella, milk, artisan cheeses and ice-cream win awards.  

You’ll find the region’s only microbrewery in the seaside town of Forster. The Coastal Brewing Co makes extremely drinkable IPAs, pale ales and lagers, among others.  

Riverina 

Tumbarumba and Gundagai 

Tumbarumba, 480km southwest of Sydney, may be a relatively new wine region, but it’s already producing standout grapes. Head to the cellar door at Courabyra Wines, in the foothills of the Snowy Mountains, to sip cool-climate sparkling wines or pinot gris, then to neighbouring Revee Wines for reds, rosé and whites.  

Family-operated Johansen Wines produces excellent gamay, chardonnay and pinot noir. Buy a bottle when you check in to the restored on-site cottage.  

Just to the north, Tumut’s riverside perch guarantees great fishing, plus hiking through Tumut State Forest. Quench your thirst at Tumut River Brewing Co, sipping beers infused with local ingredients.  

Nearby in Batlow, Wilgro Orchards has fields or apples, blueberries, chestnuts and cherries, which it sells fresh and turns into cider, vinegar and jam. Apples are also available at Mouats Farm (check for days you can pick your own), along with walnuts and citrus. Or, visit Jolly Berries for flavoursome blueberries.  

Around 100km north in Gundagai, Nick Spencer Wines produces award-winning varietals using local and Tumbarumba grapes. Although there’s no cellar door, Nick’s delicious drops are widely sold. It’s the same story for Tumblong Hills, which pioneered Gundagai’s winemaking industry with its cabernet sauvignon, shiraz and chardonnay.  

Griffith  

One of Australia’s first families of wine, De Bortoli has cellar doors in some of the country’s hottest wine regions. The brand owes its beginnings to the town of Bilbul, 10km from Gundagai. Visit the cellar door, then enjoy a bottle in the garden.  

Calabria Family Wines also has a long history in the region. Its Tuscan-style cellar door in Griffith offers various tasting experiences, including cheese-and-wine pairings. Cheese and wine are also on the menu at boutique Yarran Wines, where you can linger on a patio overlooking Cocoparra National Park.  

Discover 60 types of fruit and nuts at Catania Fruit Salad Farm, either on a tour or in the farm shop to pick up preserves; additional gourmet produce (think olives and pasta sauce) is available at Riverina Grove in Griffith.  

The region’s Italian heritage continues to shine at Codemo Smallgoods, which specialises in smoked and cured meats, and at fourth-generation bakery Bertoldo’s Pasticceria, for bread, biscotti and gelato. Aquna Sustainable Murray Cod produces premium, pond-grown cod, which you can purchase (fresh or smoked) from the retail store in Griffith.  

Or try freshly made pasta and regional Italian fare at Zecca Handmade Italian, a casual eatery housed in a 1930s Art Deco building. For a true paddock-to-plate experience, stop off at Piccolo Family Farm, a five-minute drive out of town. This working estate supplies its fine-dining Griffith restaurant Limone Dining with fresh produce daily. Check the calendar of events for long lunches and music festivals.  

Cowra 

It’s 300km from Sydney west to Cowra, an up-and-coming wine region that supports grape growers such as Rosnay, an organic vineyard and orchard just outside town in Canowindra. Try everything from chardonnay to shiraz, as well as olives and figs grown on-site, then check in to the converted 1910 farmhouse for the weekend. Also in Canowindra is Wallington Wines, a biodynamic vineyard and farm with an olive grove, bees, sheep and cattle.  

Nearby is organic Windowrie, one of the region’s founding vineyards. The cellar door is open by appointment, allowing you to sample drops across a range of labels.  

And the Quarry Restaurant and Cellar Door in Cowra town offers tastings of the region’s top wines, some of which don’t have cellar doors. Pick a bottle and sit down to lunch at the produce-driven restaurant.  

Hilltops 

Some 370km southwest of Sydney, the Hilltops region is known for its stellar cherries and grapes. Savour the latter at award-winning Grove Estate Wines, producing everything from nebbiolo to viognier, best paired with a cheese platter overlooking the vines. Chalkers Crossing makes wines using grapes from the Hilltops and Tumbarumba regions, turning the fruit into delicious shiraz, riesling and tempranillo.  

For a tipple of a different kind, head to Bluestill Distillery. Pop in to sample cherry port, rum and whiskey, then browse the on-site gallery showcasing local creatives. 

You can’t visit the Hilltops region and not drop in on a fruit farm – cherry-picking season is from October through January. Drive in Orchards sells cherries, apricots, persimmons and much more; Willayoung Orchard specialises in stone fruit (November to April); and Valley Fresh Cherries & Stonefruit’s shop in Young stocks fresh fruit plus conserves and pies. Or pick your own during the season at Main Range Cherry Orchard or Wombat Heights Orchard.