Canberra Wine Tours
Taste across the district with the driving handled.
For a region this close to a capital city, the Canberra District is surprisingly serious about wine. High, cool and continental, it has built a nation
By Frank Burns · Cooee Tours · 8 June 2026
For a region this close to a capital city, the Canberra District is surprisingly serious about wine. High, cool and continental, it has built a national reputation on aromatic Riesling and elegant, cool-climate Shiraz - much of it within half an hour of the CBD.
The district's vineyards sit on the tablelands around the city, high enough and cool enough for slow ripening and fine, aromatic wines. The result is a style closer to Europe than to Australia's warmer regions.
Two wines define the district: tight, citrusy Riesling, and a perfumed, medium-bodied Shiraz often co-fermented with a little Viognier. Cool-climate whites and elegant reds are the signature.
Most of the cellar doors cluster around Murrumbateman, north of the city on the Barton Highway, with more near Hall and around Lake George towards Bungendore. Many are small, family-run and open on weekends.
Tasting across several cellar doors is best done with a driver. A guided wine tour lets the whole group taste, takes the navigating off your hands, and pairs easily with lunch in the country.
Taste across the district with the driving handled.
Pair the wine with the city's dining precincts.
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