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VisitVineyards.com – enjoy the best of wine, food and travel

Wine and food for summer

Summer in the vineyard, Margaret River wine region, Western Australia [©Australia’s South West Inc]

   
It's summer and time to relax and enjoy the outdoors! 2012 is here, and we wish you all the best in the New Year, with lots of fun and good times with friends and family.

Summer spells holidays, beaches, barbecue time, and casual outdoor entertaining.

If you are planning some wine country adventures over  summer, you might like to check out our wide range of (self drive) suggested itineraries in all Australian wine regions (and a few in NZ, too) here, or if you want someone else to do the driving, there are plenty of tour options listed there too, from limos and minibuses, to balloons and helicopters. 

Or perhaps you just want to stay home and stock up on some wines? Of course bubbles are on the drinks list for many, plus white wines, sparkling reds, prosecco, rosés – all these and more are on our summer drinking menu. Read more about what's on in wine here »

And, of course, there's food – dining out, visiting the markets and provedores, or cooking up a storm at home – we have lots of ideas for your hidden (or not-so-hidden) foodie »
 

 On our website you'll find lots of information, including

• Wineries and vineyards – over 4700 at last count, including many boutique producers and hidden gems that you won't find elsewhere. (We find new ones almost every week!) You can search by state, region, name, if they have a cellar door, by wine varieties, opening days, and lots more by using our advanced search here »  And we're now expanding to New Zealand, and maybe to South Africa in 2012!
   
• Food growers, makers and producers – from cheese, bread and chocolate to truffles, vincotto and wasabi, you can discover where to find the best local and regional food, too;
   
• Self-drive itineraries and tours in wine country around Australia, up-to-date and by leading writers;
   
• Wine news and articles –  wine reviews and tasting notes, and reviews of the latest wine books and iPhone apps;
   
• Food and dining news and reviews from the regions, including restaurants, cooking schools and markets;
   
• What's on – there are hundreds of events every month in Australia's biggest calendar of wine and food events »
   
• Reviews of the best cookbooks, wine and food matching tips and ideas (check out the latest on the home page);
   
• Delightful regional accommodation –  we select beautiful places to stay in food and wine country that you won't find on big, impersonal directory sites – many are bookable direct;
   
• Feedback from like-minded travellers –  read current reviews by real people in our forums, and find out if that cellar door or restaurant really is as good as it sounds....  You can post your own comments on places you've been, too;
   
• Monthly giveaways where we share fabulous wines, hampers, food produce, wine and food books, and lots more from our wonderful producers around the country, on our popular win page »

Even if your nearest grapevine is hundreds or thousands of kilometres away, if you enjoy wine or food you'll find something on VisitVineyards.com for the festive and holiday season.

All our cellar door, restaurant, accommodation, food and other information is now also available on the Visit Vineyards iPhone app, so you can access it on the go, wherever you are. Download the app from iTunes here »

We're about to have another big celebration of our own, too. Sometime soon we'll be welcoming our 40,000th subscriber – a big milestone for us as a regional Australian, online startup business. Our friends at De Bortoli in Victoria's Yarra Valley are helping us (and you!) celebrate with two lovely selections of their newly released rosé wines, perfect for summer brunches or lazy afternoons..... There's one for the lucky 40,000th, and another for an existing subscriber.

So come and join* over 39,000 other happy wine and food lovers –  it's free – and maybe you'll be drinking pink wine in the sun, too »

Thanking you all, and wishing you and your families a very happy New Year.

Best wishes from Robyn Lewis and all the VisitVineyards.com team.

For the best of wine and food country on the go, download our free iPhone app here »

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[* When you subscribe to VisitVineyards.com, you can opt to receive our seasonal newsletter, to keep up with the latest wine and food news, reviews, events and competitions. (We realise some of you have enough email already; it's not compulsory) ]

Subscribe now - for news and reviews, our newsletter (optional), to join our forums, and more.

Enjoy exclusive experiences and benefits when you visit cellar doors, restaurants, provedores and more. Become a VisitVineyards.com Member today »

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