Winery wanders

In autumn, the leaves change colour in Victoria's wine regions, transforming the undulating green landscapes into a patchwork quilt of red, gold and burgundy.

Join a cellar door tasting and snap up a table at a winery restaurant, then walk off your lunch with a stroll through the vines.

Take in sculpture trails, historic pickers' sheds and eco projects around the farm.

Pick a path through paddocks laden with ripening grapes, and retire to your on-site cabin or glamping tent. At sunset, glass in hand, take in vineyard views from your winery retreat and watch kangaroos, cockatoos, geese and parrots as they hop, glide and waddle between the rows.

Ask about Feathertop Winery's 'Vineyard & Winery Discovery Tour', explore the Tahbilk Eco Trail and wetland conservation area, or follow Montalto's sculpture trail to see more than 30 permanent pieces, set in vineyards and the surrounding nature. And don't miss the annual Montalto Sculpture Prize Exhibition, from February through to the end of August.

Good to know

The vines are beautiful in autumn.

Show your insta-respect for vineyard operators and follow directions while you're in their fruitful patch of Victoria.

Stick to signposted paths around the winery and always ask first, before heading off to explore. Assume growing areas are out of bounds, unless they're signposted otherwise.

Remember that a vineyard is a working farm and your shoes can spread mould and pests from outside by accident – without you knowing – and damage the crop.