Advance AUSTRALIA FARE

Winter is an ideal time to sample some of Australia’s finest fare, especially when paired with a famed wine destination…

Foodies with all manner of tastebuds and budgets can find some incredible dining options during their winter sojourn from woodfired pizzas to chickpea koftas and award-winning sausage.

Here’s a selection we think should nab a spot on your food lovers’ bucket list.

COONAWARRA/PENOLA

For a place that’s a mere speck on the map midway between Adelaide and Melbourne, Coonawarra is a very popular tourism destination — largely because of its reputation for producing some of Australia’s finest red wines.

Coonawarra may be flat and remote, but it remains a magnet for wine lovers throughout the year thanks to a series of annual food and wine festivals that include After Dark each April, the Cellar Dwellers events in June and the Coonawarra Cabernet Celebrations every October.

The township of Penola has a population of 1200 and Coonawarra itself, just down the road, is home to just a couple of hundred.

Just across the road from Wynn’s Coonawarra Estate you’ll find Fodder Food/ Wine, run by former Rymill winemaker John