Published: Conde Nast Traveler

Location: Sydney, Australia, Oceania

“Isn’t it just joyous,” says a guest dining at Bistro Molines. It’s not a question but a matter of fact, spoken in that low-key Australian way by a day-tripper from Sydney, glass of the region’s iconic Sémillon cradled in her hand as she looks out over the Hunter Valley vineyards. You could easily think you were in the South of France or Tuscany, with the green hills undulating before you and appearing to roll on forever. But you are, of course, half a world away here in the iconic New South Wales wine region, just a two-hour drive north from Australia’s major metropolis.