A Cooee Tours Thread
From the century-old Shiraz vines of the Barossa Valley to the boutique Cabernets of Margaret River, the historic Semillon of the Hunter Valley and the cool-climate Pinot Noir of the Yarra Valley — Cooee Wine threads regional cuisine and landscape through every cellar door visit.
The idea
The reason wine touring is worth doing properly is that a wine region is a landscape, a food culture and a set of families, and the wine is the most legible expression of all three. Taste Barossa Shiraz standing in front of vines planted in the 1840s by people who walked there from Silesia, and it stops being a tasting note.
Cooee Wine is built so that the day makes sense as a day out, not a sequence of tastings. Cellar doors are chosen for range — a large historic name, a small family producer, something unexpected — rather than whoever pays commission. Lunch is at the region's own tables. The driving between is part of it, not dead time.
And nobody in the group has to be the designated driver, which is the practical reason most people book a wine tour in the first place.
Who it suits. Suits couples, groups and non-drinkers alike — itineraries can shift weight onto food, produce and landscape for anyone not tasting.
How we design it
Every Cooee Wine itinerary is put together by one Brisbane specialist who stays your contact from first call to final day. This is the order the work happens in.
A day is built from producers that differ — in scale, in style, in story. Three versions of the same thing is a wasted afternoon.
Small producers and back-vintage tastings run by appointment. Those are booked ahead, so the good rooms are open to you.
A proper regional lunch is built into the middle of the day — both because it's the best meal in wine country and because it paces the tasting.
What you buy is packed, consolidated and freighted home. No one carries a case through an airport.
Where the thread runs
Cooee Wine experiences are rolling out progressively across Australia's most celebrated wine country.
An hour northeast of Adelaide, the Barossa is home to 150+ wineries and some of the world's oldest continuously producing vines, renowned for full-bodied Shiraz and a wine culture shaped by German heritage dating to the 1840s.
Three hours south of Perth, Margaret River produces just 3% of Australia's wine yet competes on the world stage. Cellar doors here are boutique and personal, known for structured Cabernet Sauvignon and cellar-worthy Chardonnay.
Two hours from Sydney, the Hunter Valley is Australia's oldest wine region, established in 1827. Its Semillon is one of the country's most distinctive styles — lean and youthful at first, transforming into honeyed complexity over decades.
An hour from Melbourne, the Yarra Valley's cool climate produces elegant, cherry-fruited Pinot Noir with real depth. A relaxed, easily combined day-trip wine region for visitors based in Melbourne.
Local detail
Our regional travel guides carry the practical detail — where to stay, how to get around, what the seasons do, and which tours run locally. Per-tour pricing sits on those local tour pages; on this page everything is priced on application.
The Barossa, Clare and McLaren Vale — the state guide covers the wine country around Adelaide.
Margaret River and the south west, within the wider WA state guide.
The Hunter Valley sits two hours north. Base the wine days on a Sydney stay.
The Yarra Valley is an hour out. Our Melbourne guide covers the city end.
The Granite Belt and Scenic Rim — Queensland's own wine country, close to Brisbane.
Why Travel With Cooee Wine
Transport between cellar doors is built into every itinerary, so the whole group can taste without worry.
Wine country lunches and producer visits chosen to match each region's food culture, not generic platters.
Wine country days thread naturally into broader city stays or multi-day Australian itineraries.
Five decades running guided Australian travel experiences, now extending the same care into wine country.
Register your interest in Cooee Wine experiences, or tell us which region you'd love to see covered next.
Common questions
Cooee Wine is one of seven Cooee Tours travel threads, built around Australia's leading wine regions. Itineraries combine cellar door access with regional cuisine, landscape and local winemaker stories.
Cooee Wine experiences span the Barossa Valley in South Australia, Margaret River in Western Australia, the Hunter Valley in New South Wales, and the Yarra Valley in Victoria. Coverage is expanding progressively to other Australian wine regions.
Yes. Guided wine touring is designed so no one needs to be a designated driver — transport between cellar doors is included as part of the itinerary. Specific inclusions are listed on each individual tour page.
Yes. Wine region itineraries can be adjusted to focus more on food, scenery and producer visits for travellers who prefer not to drink. Contact us to discuss tailoring a tour to your group's preferences.
Yes. Wine country days are often combined with other Cooee Tours threads or regional sightseeing as part of a broader itinerary. Contact us to discuss combining a Cooee Wine experience with other destinations.
The other threads
Championship and resort fairways, threaded with cultural depth.
Roasters, growers and coffee culture from Brisbane to Colombia.
Markets, makers and insider access, with the logistics solved.
River, reef, island and expedition cruising, matched to your group.
Rainforest, wildlife and geology, planned around the season.
Local knowledge and neighbourhood guides across the places we travel.