Mudgee's Blue Wren winery is creating minimal intervention drops in an elegant farmhouse setting. Don't expect to find a wine counter here, though — instead, guests gather at tasting tables and enjoy their wine seated. The flights are $10 for five wines, with the vineyard growing shiraz, verdelho and merlot grapes.
During the cooler months, tables near the open fire are prime real estate, while in summer you can take your wine out to the garden and farm. It grows herbs, fruits and edible flowers for the in-house restaurant, The Chef's Kitchen, and is home to a cherry farm and bee hives — as well as duck, geese, chooks and heaps of blue wren birds (naturally).
While The Chef's Kitchen is currently closed for renovations, you can still nab lunch Friday through Sunday from noon—3pm. And you can even stay overnight in a newly renovated farmhouse, complete with an elevated deck and pool.