Sleep in the vines: Australia’s best winery accommodation

It’s a mean feat to transport an entire federation-era house from Central New South Wales to the Hunter Valley, but that is exactly what the owners of The Convent did almost 30 years ago. Since then, the property has been transformed into a French Baroque hotel consisting of 17 seriously lavish suites.

The hotel’s superior rooms feature beds large enough to host a dinner party on, separate lounge rooms and French doors opening out onto the verandah. From here, you can enjoy views of the estate and its well-manicured gardens while sipping on a glass from neighbouring winery, Tempus Two. The hotel isn’t far off a number of other Hunter Valley wineries, including Tyrrell’s Wines and Hope Estate Winery.

Where to stay in the Hunter Valley is a tough question to answer, but The Convent is truly a class above the rest. The on-site restaurant, Circa 1876 is renowned for its meal and wine pairing – as any hatted restaurant should be. The restaurant strongly believes in the ‘farm to fork’ mantra, with an onsite organic garden. If you opt for the Crispy Skin Jumbo Quail, be warned, it may have been running around the restaurant gardens a few hours earlier. Reservations for this hugely popular restaurant are recommended especially on weekends. On the plus side though, you won’t have far to walk to get back to your room post meal and sampling the award-winning wine list.

As the name suggests, this hotel and wine cellar lies on the edge of Lake Daylesford, just an hour and a half’s drive from Melbourne, in a township best known for its natural mineral springs. In recent years the area has gained a steady reputation for its Pinots which are quickly dominating the wine awards scene. For more on the Lakehouse or other hotels in the region, check out our Spa Country guide.

The Lake House itself is home to an impressive restaurant and an even more impressive cellar. Accolades include two Chef Hats from The Age Good Food Guide and an induction into the hall of fame in The Australian Wine List of the Year Awards. Wine and produce are sourced locally with a focus on organic, sustainable dining.

Hotel rooms are tastefully furnished and the location means you don’t need to walk far to eat at arguably the best restaurant in town. Need we say more?

Utter the words Barossa Valley to any Australian, and the first thing that springs to mind is wine. If you’re heading to the region, you can’t go past the accommodation at ubiquitous Australian wine brand, Jacobs Creek.

Jacobs Creek Retreat is one of the Barossa’s original vineyards, made up of a series of circa-1800s buildings among the vines. Located within these impressive façades is a series of boutique suites, which are all individually designed, staying true to the class and history associated with the brand. Rooms are filled with antique furnishings and modern touches – four-poster beds, spas and double showers.

Spend the day next door at Moorooroo Park vineyard, enjoying cheeses from the award-winning Barossa Valley Cheese Company and cooling off with a glass of Silentium sparkling shiraz.

Overlooking the Negroamaro vines of the Frenzied Fox vineyard, this guesthouse is the perfect base for exploring the wineries of Mudgee. The central west township is a hub for fresh produce and quality wines, and is rapidly becoming known as a place where community collaboration yields spectacular results.

Set on 40 acres, the Mudgee Homestead is encompassed by a wide verandah where you can take in views of the central west. The guest lounges are filled with original artworks and over-stuffed couches which are perfect to curl up in with a good book and glass of red.

Take a trip out to the di Lusso cellar door where you can get amongst more than 17 varieties of Italian grapes. This place is more than wine though! The home-made olive oil is a must buy, as is a meal at Cucina di Lusso, overlooking the estate.

While you might not immediately associate Queensland with wine, there are over 50 vineyards in the Granite Belt region. This high altitude, climate wine region in Southern Queensland gets so cold that it’s actually known to snow here!

The Federation-era Honeysuckle Cottages are all self-contained and include log fires and kitchenettes. Kick back on the verandah and take in the surrounding bushland before heading over to the onsite restaurant, JJ’s @ The Rocks. The Korean-Japanese menu is filled with sushi, sashimi, dumplings and warming noodle soups. We recommend grabbing a glass of white from the wine list and enjoying it with a steaming bowl of Udon.
Red wine lovers should take a drive out to Boireann Winery. The vineyard is well known for its 2012 Harry’s Granite Belt Shiraz and grape picking weekends.

Ten minutes drive from the regional NSW town of Orange lies Mayfield Vineyard – a picturesque winery that serves up glasses as good as the views.

The cool climate winery specialises in Rieslings and Pinot Noirs, and are bottled under the Mayfield Vineyard and Icely Road labels. The property’s cottages have been decorated with the ‘romance of country living’ in mind, giving guests supreme privacy. Pets are welcome in Mayfield Vineyard’s four-poster for an extra fee.

Spend a day at Mayfield’s cellar door, which is housed within a former school house on the property.

Only a half from the Perth CBD is the Swan Valley wine region – an area that produces some of WA’s best quality drops. Right at the region’s heart is Novotel Swan Valley Vines, which is more of a vino lovers resort than a boutique guesthouse.

Room vary from standard to self-contained bungalows, all of which are spacious and well designed. There are a number of eateries onsite including Muscats Restaurant and Bar, where you can dine on locally grown produce with a glass of Swan Valley wine.

Test your swing at the hotel’s 36-hole golf course or indulge in a spa treatment. If you’re keen to explore more of the Swan Valley, take a drive out to the nearby Sittella Winery. Here you can join a wine tasting session and purchase a few bottles to take-away. Don’t go past the 2016 Verdelho – this noteworthy bottle took home a gold medal at the Perth Royal Show.

With its chilly climate and vibrant landscape, Tasmania was destined to be home to spectacular vineyards. The Herons Rise Vineyard is no exception, its self-contained cottages are set on a secluded 12-acres of land with spectacular views of the D’Entrecasteaux Channel to Bruny Island.

Get comfy in front of your wood-burning fireplace as you enjoy the on-site produced pinot noir or Rhine Riesling and Muller Thurgau, a German variety developed for cold climates. Don’t forget to take a bottle home, too! The vineyard’s 2005 Heron’s Rise Muller Thurgau was awarded a bronze medal in the Tasmanian Wine Show.