My Autumn Escape at Mountain Ridge Wines, NSW

As I wound my way through New South Wales' countryside, the autumn foliage set the hills ablaze in amber and ruby. My spontaneous day trip led me to **Mountain Ridge Wines Restaurant & Cellar Door**, where the crisp harvest air carried the promise of warmth and flavor. The Cellar Door's stone fireplace glowed as I settled in for a tasting. "Our Shiraz tastes like liquid autumn," the winemaker joked, and I agreed—each sip of their bold reds carried whispers of woodsmoke and blackberry jam. At the sunlit restaurant, I devoured pumpkin ravioli with brown butter sage, the dish mirroring the golden vines outside the windows. What I adored most was the unhurried rhythm. Between courses, I wandered through rows of gnarled vines, kicking up caramel-colored leaves. In the distance, the Brokenback Range stood sentinel under a cobalt sky. By day's end, clutching a bottle of their reserve Cabernet, I realized this was autumn perfected—a symphony of robust flavors, crackling fires, and landscapes that looked freshly dipped in honey. Sometimes the best journeys need no itinerary