A winery might not immediately come to mind for a family visit, but Lyrebird Ridge Organic Winery and Retreat not only makes sustainable wines – it’s a small farm, too, with accommodation: an ideal playground for city kids who need a little time in nature.
Situated on 16 hectares of bushland between Kangaroo Valley and Nowra, the winery has been in operation since 1994, creating wines made from organically grown grapes: hand-picked, basket-pressed and with no added preservatives. Chambourcin is the varietal of choice, due to its resilience to disease.
While you’re sipping on a glass, and grazing on a cheese platter graced with homemade chutney, the kids can run free, encountering the estate’s ducks and chooks accompanied by the estate’s two dogs, Molly and Rosie May. If you’re lucky, you might get to see wombats and wallabies, too.
Lyrebird takes its sustainability seriously: there’s no internet, phone or television reception, so a weekend staying at one of the two cabins is a chance to digitally detox.
Opt to sample Lyrebird’s wines in the cellar door, or take wine and a cheese platter to go and find a shady spot under a tree or by one of the dams to enjoy both.
The pet-friendly cellar door operates Friday, Saturday and Sunday. If you would like to visit outside of these days, please phone ahead.
