Southern Highlands Wine Tour
Private and Exclusive to your groupCool-climate cellar doors, historic villages and time to linger over lunch, with your own driver and no other guests.
- About 90 minutes from Sydney
- Cellar door tastings in cool-climate wine country
- Hotel pickup and drop-off in Sydney
- Private tour, only your group
Escape Scenes runs a private Southern Highlands wine tour from Sydney for groups of up to 7, in a 2023 Mercedes V-Class. The Highlands are about 120 km and 90 minutes south-west of Sydney. We collect your group from Sydney, the Sutherland Shire, Wollongong or south-western Sydney, visit two to three cool-climate cellar doors and Berrima, and return about 6:00 pm, a day of around 10 hours. Your first tasting is included. Lunch and further tastings are paid on the day.
A day among the vines, without the planning
The Southern Highlands has many cellar doors spread between historic villages, and working out which ones are worth your time takes more effort than most people expect. Add a 90-minute drive each way and the question of who stays sober at the wheel, and a wine day can start to feel like work.
We think a day in wine country should feel like a holiday. That means no maps to read, no bookings to chase and nobody counting their tastings.
Local knowledge, private touring since 2019
We know how it feels to give up a precious day out of Sydney and worry you picked the wrong places. Escape Scenes has run private tours across New South Wales since 2019, led by someone with experience in the Australian touring industry since 2009. We choose cellar doors and stops that suit your group, then adjust the day as it unfolds.
Sydney pickup: from 8:00 am
We collect your group from your Sydney hotel and head south-west into the Southern Highlands, about 120 km away.
First cellar door: mid-morning
Settle in for a tasting of around six wines made on site at a cool-climate winery, about 600 metres above sea level. Take as long as you like.
Lunch in Berrima: around midday
Berrima is a historic village dating back to the 1830s. Lunch is optional and at your own expense, with a historic pub meal at the Surveyor General Inn one of the options.
Explore at leisure: early afternoon
Browse artisan boutiques and antique stores, or wander the sandstone streets at your own pace.
Optional extra stop: mid-afternoon
If you would like one more tasting, we head to a local winery or brewery to finish the afternoon, time permitting. Further tastings are paid directly to the venue.
Return to Sydney: back around 6:00 pm
Relax on the 90-minute drive back, and we drop you at your Sydney hotel.
How your Southern Highlands wine tour works
Choose your date and book online, and we confirm your pickup details. On the day we collect your group from your Sydney hotel and drive about 90 minutes south-west to the Southern Highlands. You taste, wander and lunch at an easy pace while we handle the driving, then we bring you back to Sydney in the early evening.
Your vehicle
You travel in a dark grey 2023 Mercedes V-Class V300 with leather seating, a private vehicle for up to 7 guests. There is space for a few bottles from the cellar doors, and the vehicle stays with your group all day.
Ready to book your Southern Highlands wine tour?
Choose your date in the calendar and secure your booking with a 10% deposit. If you would like to plan your day or ask about group size, message us on WhatsApp or use our contact form and we will reply directly.
Direct Booking bonus
Book this tour with us direct and receive your first tasting at no extra cost, conditions apply.
Choice of venues
Tailoring your day
You have around six hours in the Southern Highlands on this private wine tour from Sydney. The itinerary is flexible. We talk through your preferences before the day and visit venues in the order that suits your group, whether that is cellar doors, a craft brewery or more time in Berrima.
Our recommendation
The region's cool-climate cellar doors reward a slower pace, and a tasting runs best at about 45 to 60 minutes. To keep the day relaxed, we suggest three cellar doors plus a lunch stop, with time left to wander Berrima. Trying to fit in more turns the day into a rush, and a rushed wine day is not what Escape Scenes is about. The final call is always yours.
Southern Highlands
About 120 km south-west of Sydney, a 90-minute drive to cool-climate wine country 600 metres above sea level, plus the historic township of Berrima.
Times
Departs 8:00 AM from your Sydney hotel, returning at approximately 6:00 PM.
Ideal for
Couples, families and friends who want a relaxed wine day without driving or managing a group schedule. Up to seven guests, your group only.
Includes
- Sydney hotel pickup and drop-off
- Premium private vehicle
- Driver-guide for the full day
- First wine tasting, up to $25 per person
Does not include
- Lunch
- Tastings beyond the first
- Gratuities (at your discretion)
Bring
A warm layer, comfortable walking shoes, sunscreen and a hat.
Private Tour
One vehicle and one driver for the whole day, with nobody else on board.
Direct booking special
Reserve on our website and your first cellar door tasting is covered, up to $25 per person to a maximum of $100 total value.
Ideal For
International guests, couples, families, party groups, hens days, friends.
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Frequently asked questions
How far is the Southern Highlands from Sydney?
The Southern Highlands is about 120 km south-west of Sydney, roughly 90 minutes by road. The full tour runs for up to 10 hours depending on your pickup area, with up to about three hours of driving in total. Pickup is from 8:00 am in Sydney or 9:00 am from the Sutherland Shire, Wollongong and south-western Sydney, and we return to Sydney CBD around 6:00 pm.
What is included in the tour, and are wine tastings included?
Yes, your first cellar door tasting is included for every guest, up to $25 per person. The price also covers a private 2023 Mercedes V-Class and driver for the full day, with pickup and drop-off in Sydney, the Sutherland Shire, Wollongong or south-western Sydney. Lunch, further tastings and cellar door purchases are paid by your group on the day, and tastings usually cost $15 to $25.
Is the tour private, and how many people can come?
Yes, the tour is private to your group, with no other guests on board. Up to 7 guests can travel in the Mercedes V-Class for one flat rate of $1,295 per booking, which covers the vehicle and driver for the day. The cost is shared across your group rather than charged per person. Tell us your group size when you book so we can plan seating and pickups.
Where does the tour pick up from?
We collect from Sydney from 8:00 am and from the Sutherland Shire, Wollongong and south-western Sydney from 9:00 am, because these areas are on the way to the Southern Highlands. We confirm your exact pickup time and location after you book, and the drop-off is agreed in advance, typically around 7:00 pm.
Which wineries do you visit?
We choose cellar doors with your group before the day, from the roughly 20 around Bowral, Berrima and Mittagong. Popular stops include Centennial Vineyards, Bendooley Estate, PepperGreen Estate and Artemis Wines. The region is known for cool-climate pinot noir, chardonnay and riesling, and we suggest two to three cellar doors plus lunch so the day stays relaxed.
Where can we have lunch on the tour?
Lunch is at your own expense, and your group chooses the style. Options include a meal at a winery restaurant such as Centennial Vineyards, Bendooley Estate or PepperGreen Estate, or a pub lunch at the Surveyor General Inn in Berrima, one of Australia's oldest licensed inns, dating from the 1830s. Tell us your preference when you book and we plan the timing around it.
Are children and dogs welcome?
Children are welcome on the tour. Tastings are for guests aged 18 and over, so younger guests can enjoy the drive, lunch and Berrima while the adults taste. Tell us children's ages when you book so we can plan seating. Dogs cannot travel on this tour, with the exception of assistance animals.
When is the best time to visit the Southern Highlands?
The Southern Highlands suits wine touring all year because it is a cool-climate region with four distinct seasons. Spring brings the gardens and Bowral's Tulip Time, autumn brings vineyard colour, and winter often means open fireplaces at the cellar doors. Summer days are warmer. Tell us when you are travelling and we plan the day's stops around the weather.