Need a reason to feel excited about holidaying exclusively within the bounds of New South Wales for the next little while? How about the prospect of drinking the country’s best wine? The Wine of the Year winner in the annual Halliday Wine Companion Awards for 2021 has just been announced and it’s a shiraz from the Hunter Valley – the 2018 Brokenwood Graveyard Vineyard shiraz, to be exact. In addition, another NSW vineyard took out the ‘Dark Horse’ award, which is for a first-time winner of five stars in the companion guide. This year it has gone to Yarran Wines in Yenda (yes, like the beer), which is a small town in the Riverina region of Western NSW.
Right now they cellar door at Yarran is only open for takeaways, but the small, sustainable winery usually hosts guests for tastings with a little cheese. And in really excellent news for the more modest drinkers amongst us, the wine that garnered them the award is only $15 a bottle for the estate-grown Riverina shiraz.
While you’re in the neighbourhood, here’s a whole lot more to eat and drink in the region, so you can really make a mini-break out of your trip.
If the ever-changing border situation has you lamenting about your next holiday, maybe a little reminder that we know our way around a wine barrel in the blue state is what you need to get pumped for some local adventures.