ESCAPE I NTO THE VINES

For those seeking a little adventure with their wine tour, Cofield Wines offers you the chance to sleep among the vines

Storm clouds are gathering over Victoria’s North East as we pull into Cofield Wines at Rutherglen. Fine weather, you might think, for kicking back with a glass or three of High Country shiraz. Except that we’re not bound for the safety of Cofield’s cosy cellar door or its charming Pickled Sisters Cafe.

We’re cruising past all that, past the factory out the back, and bunking down in a tent. Almost in the actual vineyard. Grapevine glamping, they call it, at Cofield. Sounds good when the mercury’s rising and Rutherglen, known for rich reds and fortifiers, turns on a sunny smile as wide as the mighty Murray. But what’s it like to go glamping in this flat, fertile country when the wind picks up and the rain comes down? We’re about to find out.

Twenty-four hours earlier, under equally dark skies, we were in Beechworth. This historic goldmining town, on the edge of Victoria’s High Country, is being galvanised by enterprising vignerons and foodies. Sally Lynch is one of these new go-getters and the brains behind a bespoke catering business called Taste Trekkers. Her Beechworth Barrel Tours, limited to 10 people, have caught on and no wonder: sign on with Sally, a talented chef, and you will visit five wineries over five hours, enjoying five courses along the way.

“It’s all about experiencing wine in all its facets rather than passively consuming it,” she explains on a ‘barrel tour’ – meeting winemakers, sampling upcoming vintages and matching wines with delectable food at each stop. All of Sally’s tours start at Project 49, a top-notch food and wine store in Ford St and with more than 24 vineyards sprouting in the mineral-rich hills around Beechworth, you never know where her taste trek might end.

Count yourself lucky if Baarmutha Wines is on the itinerary. This small, family-owned vineyard just out of town was established 10 years ago and is punching well above its weight with impressive wines that maker Vinny Webb crafts from budburst to bottle.

“Winemakers like Vinny are a special breed,” Sally tells me in Baarmutha’s rustic tasting room. It’s a chic shed, all galvanised iron and timber beams, and a pot-belly stove blazing in the corner is all that Sally needs to prepare our late lunch: pork belly and bok choy, then braised goat on a bed of mash. Vinny supplies the plonk – in our case, Baarmutha’s refined chardonnay and shiraz.

And the Canvas Bell Tent experience? Cofield Wines, in Wahgunyah on the banks of the Murray, has had two of them pegged down in the vines since 2016 and their grapevine glamping concept leaves nothing to chance. Our spacious tent, signposted as Quartz Vein, is roomy enough for a kingsize bed heaped with blankets and cushions. Inside, there’s a heater (doubling as air con in summer), a mini bar (for your bottles of Cofield), assorted board games, fishing gear (the river is nearby) and a telescope for stargazing. The bathroom is a few paces away in a dinky caravan – toilet, shower, mirror, no frills – and fluffy robes keep you warm when you need to step out.

Pre-book a dinner hamper and the Pickled Sisters people will have it ready on arrival. Our vineyard platter comes with everything from house-baked bread and smoked trout mousse to chicken and pistachio terrine, olives, pate and cheese. There’s a fully equipped camp kitchen on site but nothing beats enjoying these treats around a fire pit, drinking wine made from the very vines you’re glamping in.

Temperatures plunge overnight, thunder rumbles and winds tug at our tent. Luckily we get a good blaze going. The next morning, we wake to see the ground twinkling with frost.

The Pickled Sisters have breakfast ready – free-range eggs and bacon, tomatoes and sausages, fruit juice, danishes and good coffee. It’s the view that revives us, though. With trellised vines stretching into the distance and birds singing nearby, Cofield’s Grapevine Glamping puts you in the heart of the country. The author was a guest of Tourism North East