Weekends away are for road trips - and the best ones are driving through locations in which you can lose yourself.
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Whether it is figuratively or literally, there's a region in the capital's backyard which offers a great escape. The Canberra wine region has something around every corner, meaning a lack of direction can be an adventure rather than a disaster.
Friday - afternoon
Carbs are always a good idea, so first stop off the ranks is Four Winds Vineyard.
Yes, the vineyard has some great wines - its 2018 Shiraz has just picked up gold at the ICC Sydney NSW Wine Awards - but it's the woodfired pizzas which have it scheduled as our first stop.
The upcoming Moving Feast, held by the Makers of Murrumbateman on October 5-6, will feature the spicy chorizo and onion pizza and the tomato and basil - simplicity at its finest. This time around we've opted for a potato and gorgonzola to go with the spicy chorizo.
With a belly full of pizza, it's on to Clonakilla. The winery offers a range of white wines but Clonakilla is a good place to start for red lovers.
One of the original wineries in the region, Clonakilla has paved the way since John Kirk planted the first vines in 1971.
Nothing but the best is used for the wine, and Henry McCabe at the cellar door tells me that when it comes to the grapes used in their Ballinderry wine in particular, if they don't ripen correctly then they get fed to the cows - a treat they love. Meanwhile, the wine itself - a 2017 red - is named after a great oak tree which was planted in the top corner of the property when the vineyard was first established, taking the Irish word for 'place of the oak'.
Friday - evening
Shelter for the night comes in the form of Abode Murrumbateman. Opening last year, it was the region's first four-star hotel and offers some nice touches for guests.
For example, it has bikes available for those wanting to cycle their way through the wineries and is pet-friendly so there is a fair chance you'll get some puppy love over breakfast.
The communal kitchen is a winner for those want to spend a night in, and there is pantry with local wines and produce for sale - particularly handy if you regret not buying something on the wine trail.
Communal kitchens aside, Friday's dinner is best served at Olleyville at Shaw.
The Murrumbateman restaurant is great for either sharing or having your own substantial meal. We choose the former, ordering baby beetroot and blood orange for entree to share, followed by Black Angus scotch fillet, blue cheese and porcini arancini and buttered Morton Bay bug. Dessert is creme brulee and apple and rhubarb crumble.
Plus, being situated on Shaw Vineyard Estate, the menu pairs each dish with one of the winery's cooler climate wines.
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Saturday - morning
To say I'm excited for our visit to One Tree Hill Alpaca Farm is an understatement - what's not to like about alpacas?
With 80 alpacas on the farm, owner Angela Smith has a lot of names to remember. How she does it, I have no idea, but she introduces us to a few - Sweetheart, Ziggy, Miranda and Bling - while we feed a herd of pregnant females.
Sure, they spit - but only at each other and we're just collateral damage as they squabble to get some breakfast. It's fine though; Smith assures me that what we do get showered in is just "glitter".
This will be the first year that One Tree Hill Alpaca Farm is taking part in the Moving Feast, and almost unexpectedly, their food offering will be alpaca.
Moving on from alpacas, we head out to Helm Wines, which - along with Clonakilla - is one of the oldest wineries in the region.
Anyone wanting to know about the history of the region, vintner Ken Helm is your man. Even more so if you're a fan of Riesling as Helm has literally written the book on the varietal.
"It's one of the oldest varieties cultivated in Europe and here, and it's almost certain the Romans cultivated a Riesling in Germany," he says.
"We also expect it was on the first fleets as it was 1804 when the first Riesling was recorded."
Saturday - afternoon
Before heading for some lunch we stop in at Wins Creek Meadery. Owned by Maryanne and Michael Devey, the business is a result of Michael's love of beekeeping.
The meadery, through its sister company Bindaree Bee Supplies, has about 100 hives scattered around New South Wales. Currently, most are around Young, where the hives will live temporarily to help pollinate the cherry orchards.
When it comes to the meadery side of things, Wins Creek offers both sweet and dry varieties, including ginger and lemon, and mango and passionfruit. For the beer lovers though, there's also a basil and honey craft beer on offer - which will be featured at the upcoming Moving Feast along with beef fajitas.
Jumping back in the car, we head to Yass to stop in at Thyme to Taste for some lunch.
There's something nostalgic about a good jaffle and the Yass cafe promises the best in town. We grab The Babe - a pulled pork jaffle with spicy barbecue sauce.
The cafe is a great spot for a fresh feed, but it also aims to create a community. Thyme to Taste has a homey feel with board games stacked int the corner, and vintage National Geographics ready to read.
We finish off the afternoon at Dog Trap Vineyard - the winery equivalent of a hole in the wall cafe.
The vineyard only produces red wines, and it doesn't have a traditional cellar door, instead offering tastings from the same space where the wines are made - giving a unique behind the scenes insight. As it is slightly off the beaten track, it's also quite easy to get vintages as old as 2009.
Saturday - evening
Our abode for the night, The Globe Inn, has historic charm in spades.
Established in 1847, the Yass bed and breakfast - currently owned by Greg Miller and David Small - is a great example of Georgian architecture and it's hard not to say "wow" as you walk through its doors.
What's more, Miller and Small's hospitality makes it feel like you're staying with friends and they are more than willing to share the many lives of the historic building.
As a bonus, The Globe Inn is - as Small says - one point of what they call "the golden triangle", with the bed and breakfast within walking distance from Yazzbar and the restaurant Clementine.
That in mind, we start our evening escapades at Yazzbar for a few drinks before dinner. With its exposed bricks and live music, there's something effortlessly cool about this bar.
For those who are still on the wine hunt - or just want another drop - Yazzbar features the region's cooler climate wines.
It also features its own Riesling - made from grapes from Dog Trap Vineyard. Each vintage is named after a family member of owner Harvey Walsh, and this particular vintage - Eliza - is named after his granddaughter.
Just looking at Clementine's 1950s weatherboard cottage you know it's a special spot for dinner but we're about halfway through our starters - pork and fennel salami, and sobrassada and white anchovy - when we realise this is a must-visit for anyone in the area.
By the time we finish our entrees of stuffed zucchini flowers, and raw kingfish, and our mains of lamb rump and pasta with local mushrooms, we've already rattled off at least half-a-dozen names of people we should bring back.
Food aside, the service has been so welcoming you're tempted to ask if the staff want to pull up a chair and join you.
Sunday - morning
Sunday begins with breakfast at Yass cafe Kaffeine 2582.
Not unsurprisingly, the cafe is bustling with people seeking Sunday morning breakfast and manager Matt Leahy says the eggs benedict - with homemade hollandaise - and the magic beans - housemade beans with feta and Turkish bread - have always been winners for regulars.
What is slightly out of the norm for Kaffeine 2582 is that as well as being a cafe, it also sells housewares and gifts so you can shop up a storm while getting your morning brew.
All coffeed-out and we find ourselves at Hillgrove Pottery. The Murrumbateman studio and gallery showcase the work of Susan Hill. Aside from being visually stunning, the process of making the stoneware is just as appealing.
Hill has had years of perfecting a range of glazes for her work, but what's most interesting about them is that they're completely different colours before they go in the kiln.
To get her intended designs, Hill is required to think about the glazes in terms of what they will be, not what they originally are. The rest, she says, is in the hands of the "kiln gods".
On the road again and we head to The Vintner's Daughter. As you may have guessed by the winery's name Stephanie Helm has been around winemaking her entire life - her dad is Ken Helm of Helm Wines.
All of The Vintner's Daughter's wines are made from grapes grown at the winery - "we're control freaks" - and like her dad, Stephanie has a Riesling.
While she admits she did feel the pressure when she brought out the first vintage, she needn't have worried, as it scored a 96 and has continued to score within the 90s ever since.
However, the wine which may draw some attention within the winery's range is the Gewurztraminer.
"A lot of people haven't heard of it, or if they have, they think of it as a sweet wine," she says. This wine, however, is a dry style with hints of lychees and tropical fruit.
Looking ahead at the Moving Feast, The Vintner's Daughter has held back the last of its Merlot for the event "as it will go so well with the chocolate torte", and will also be serving up beef and caramelised onion burgers.
Sunday - afternoon
We're no strangers to Poachers Pantry - we love their brunches. However, this dining experience is one of firsts.
Firstly, it's the first time we've been there for lunch. Secondly - and more importantly - it's a first for trying the recently announced wine label Poachers Vineyard.
The move is part of a total branding overhaul at Poachers and sees them add two new varietals, a Riesling that has just been awarded a gold medal by Winewise, and a Tempranillo.
The family businesses also have a few experiences on the horizon including spring picnics and a new five-course tasting menu. There are also smoking masterclasses and food photography masterclasses in the pipeline.
Speaking of new additions, we finish our weekend with a visit to Tallagandra Hill Wines.
Owned by Mary McAvoy and David Faulks, the winery has just finished construction on its new cabins, as well as its new function space which will host its first wedding in the coming weeks.
The wedding - as well as the ones to follow - will be catered by former My Kitchen Rules winner Bella Jakubiak. The upcoming Moving Feast will also see Jakubiak dish up slow-cooked lamb shoulder and Spanish doughnuts.
But functions and accommodation aside, Tallagandra is just a great place to visit.
There's a vintage jukebox in the corner - playing original 45s - as well as old magazine covers and other retro photos fill the walls.
Of course, we have come for the wines.
Each of Tallagandra's wines is named after someone. The Prodigal Daughter - a 2018 Vermantino - is named after McAvoy and is unique to the region. The Newtown Farmer - a 2016 Tempranillo Cabernet - is named after Faulks. But it's The Great Ron - a 2017 Shiraz - which has the most heartening story, as it is named after Faulks' late father - whose picture hangs proudly on the wall.
- Amy Martin travelled as a guest of Destination New South Wales.