A few minutes from Seven Mile Beach, Mountain Ridge Wines (as the name suggests) is perched on a slope of Coolangatta Mountain, affording the working vineyard, cafe and restaurant sweeping vistas. Spend an afternoon soaking up live music during 'Music Sundays', which occur once a month.

Call into the historic Coolangatta Estate Winery - the South Coast's most-awarded winery - to sample the extensive list of award-winning drops. White wine lovers should opt for the highly acclaimed Wollstonecraft Semillon; those interested in history can join a guided walking tour of the convict-built property; and if you are feeling peckish, lunches on weekends are served up in the Alexander Grill restaurant.

Trace the Shoalhaven River’s northern bank east to reach Two Figs Winery, where you can bask in the views through the floor-to-ceiling windows next to a cosy fire - glass of shiraz in hand.

Channel your inner Alice In Wonderland with a fairytale-inspired high tea overlooking the vines at Cambewarra Estate Winery. The wines are an equally memorable drawcard. Cambewarra makes a rosé, chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, verdelho, white and red port and a vintage chambourcin, all from estate-grown grapes.

Tucked away among rich pasturelands, stop at Lyrebird Ridge Organic Winery and Retreat to stock up on locally made products and crafts, as well as handpicked, basket-pressed wines made on-site from the rustic cellar door.

A closed river valley sandwiched between the Southern Highlands and the South Coast’s beautiful beaches, and just two hours from Sydney and Canberra, Kangaroo Valley is a ready-made retreat from the hectic pace of life elsewhere.

Patches of lush farmland provide local eateries such as Hampden Deli, Dining and School with fresh, flavoursome produce, while wineries make use of the rich, alluvial soils to produce top drops.

Yarrawa Estate is a must-do. Getting there is something of an adventure, as you follow wooden signs upwards from Kangaroo Valley village to the vineyard, where you’ll be welcomed like family. In fact, the “cellar door” is the owners' dining room, where you can taste some of the signature offerings, including a fabulous walnut liqueur wine. The cheese plates, replete with homemade delicacies like jams and pickles - all made from produce grown on the estate - are the perfect accompaniment.

Berry lies inland from the sparkling shores of Seven Mile Beach National Park and provides the perfect meeting ground for locals and holidaymakers looking for a blend of village charm and city style.

You’ll find both in the town’s main streets, where historic buildings house sophisticated shops and tempting eateries, not to mention the one-and-only Berry Donut Van, an institution in these parts.

For great dining, head out to nearby wineries like Crooked River Wines, where you can sip wine and beer (there’s an on-site brewery) or savour scampi linguini in the restaurant, or Silos Estate, where you’ll also get to match exquisite bottles with memorable food.