Not only is Coolangatta Estate the South Coast’s most-awarded winery (more than 160 trophies and 1,900 awards picked up at regional, national and international wine shows) – it also occupies the site of the first European settlement on the coast.

If you like a little history with your wine, you can stay in the convict-built accommodation, once home to Alexander Berry, the Scotsman who founded the settlement and planted the first grapes on the foothills of Mount Coolangatta in the mid-1800s. (The converted stables were also frequently home to the first winner of the Melbourne Cup, Archer).

Guided tours give you deeper insights into the estate’s history: opt for the Great Hall option, which not only includes a turn around the vineyards but ends in the heritage-listed 1822 Great Hall, where you can taste some of Coolangatta’s top drops, including the Wollstonecraft Semillon.

Lunches on the weekends are served up in Alexander’s Grill restaurant where you can enjoy a seasonal menu with matched wines, or try the new luxe picnic experience, Un’Wine’d – a collaboration between the estate and Once Upon a Picnic Co., which involves wine, charcuterie and customised wine glasses, which you get to keep.

Coolangatta Estate is located close to major tourist centres and beaches, including Shoalhaven Heads, Berry, Kangaroo Valley and Kiama.