Cuisine Wine

Askerne Estate Winery

Setting
You can’t miss the towering eucalyptus trees out the front of this no-frills tasting room tacked on to the large winery building. They’re surrounded by hedges of lavender and loom large over the lawn, which provides the perfect lounging spot for visitors. Old farm machinery dots the perimeter and kids will love the swing, slide and sandpit.

Things to know
Founders John and Kathryn Loughlin planted their first vines at this site – which was once used to grow asparagus and later as a stud farm for Texel sheep – in 1993, and the winery is named after Kathryn’s Yorkshire birthplace. Today Ant MacKenzie makes the wines, and visitors to the cellar door have a smorgasbord of styles from which to choose, from dry and sweet semillon to viognier, gewurztraminer and pinot gris, right through to Bordeaux reds.

Our picks
The late-harvest semillon is toffee-licious, and fortified fans will love the dessert cabernet.

Wine from this Winery