These are the best places to eat, drink (and scoff pizza) in buzzing Rutherglen and surrounds

There’s a renewed buzz around Rutherglen. Long known for its classic but slightly unfashionable fortified wines, this charming gold rush town is picking up hype as another wave of smaller producers and interesting venues emerges.

New and established wineries are increasingly focusing on Spanish and Italian varietals: fiano is big, and vignerons are putting out fresh takes on the region’s signature, muscat – think less sugar, more golden florals.

Chilled-out cellar doors and intimate wine bars are having a moment, too: Grace, Thousand Pound, and Eldorado Road Cellar Door Cantina are all worth visiting. Small-batch distilleries are bottling fruity muscat gins and bold rye whiskeys.

The prime farmland around Rutherglen is a playground for small producers: from berries to chestnuts, honey to boutique smallgoods. At just over three hours’ drive from Melbourne (or a slight detour onthe inland Melbourne-Sydney route), a road trip to the bountiful northeast will provide the chance to stock your pantry as well as your cellar.

Best coffee

Set the GPS for a side trip to tiny, picturesque Myrtleford, then follow your nose for next-level speciality coffee. Behind a sleek, black brick exterior sits Coffee Chakra, a bustling, offbeat roastery and espresso bar. Their micro-batched, fair-trade beans will satisfy even the most zealous Melbourne coffee fanatic.

You’ll also find a changing selection of homemade cakes and biscotti with Italian flair, including, perhaps, chewy pistachio cookies or jam drops with quince. Grab a batch brew and perch outside to soak up the cool mountain air.

Don’t forget to pick up a bag of beans or house-made chai to take home.

15 McGeehan Crescent, Myrtleford, coffeechakra.com.au

Best breakfast

There may be a wait for a seat at Docs, a short hop from Rutherglen. Tourists have caught on and are competing for the packed street-side tables with farmers and their kelpies. You can understand the wide appeal: country-size servings plus innovative spins on cafe classics.

Sure, there’s the ubiquitous smashed avo, but it changes daily and might come with asparagus, prosciutto crumb, poached eggs and hollandaise, or zucchini, tomato and poachies. Okonomiyaki with fried egg is a banger, and sweet tooths will dig the gloriously sticky Biscoff French toast.

Pick up a sourdough rhubarb Danish and Inglewood coffee to go.

83 Sanger Street, Corowa, instagram.com/docscorowa

Best casual meal

There may not be a more picture-perfect setting for relaxed family lunches than the lakeside tables at Bonnie, the sunny, pastel pizzeria set on the stately grounds of the All Saints Estate. The chilled-out little sister to fine diner Kin, Bonnie offers superior wood-fired pizza, like the Stella, with prawns, confit garlic and chilli oil.

There are some winners among the non-pizza options, too: take stracciatella served with fennel seed-roasted carrots and a dressing that showcases the winery’s muscat.

There’s a lake. Kids are frolicking on the lawn against a backdrop of vines. Just BYO white linen outfit and designer dog, and you’ll be ready for a photo shoot.

205 All Saints Road, Wahgunyah, allsaintswine.com.au/bonnie

Best food store

Resist the urge to wave your arms around: just about every surface in this Italo-leaning providore, cafe and bottle shop is stacked with edible (or drinkable) delights. Shelves are crowded with rows of Project 49’s own tomato sugo alongside the best wines of the state’s northeast.

Chunky panini stuffed with mortadella sit atop cold cases packed with terrines and rillettes from Maison Renoux. All the expected continental deli classics are here, plus superior take-home meals.

Grab an alfresco table in the adjoining lane for Milawa Bread pastries and Locale coffee.

57 Ford Street, Beechworth, projectfortynine.com.au

Best wine bar

With its open fire and exposed brick walls, cosy storefront bar Grace has the comfortable vibe of a well-established institution despite having opened just two years ago. Fronted by husband and wife team Matthieu and Erica Miller, Grace has the genuine pleased-to-see-you vibe of the best family ventures.

The petite kitchen punches above its weight, from the house-baked sourdough with beurre noisette through to the cavatelli with rich, comforting goat ragu. Then there’s the cracking drinks list, which spotlights funky-leaning wines and hyperlocal spirits.

Grace has quickly become a hotspot for locals and wine industry folk, and it’s easy to see why.

84 Main Street, Rutherglen, milkinkitchen.com.au

Best cellar door

Less is more at this low-key, sustainable cellar door. There’s no flashy onsite restaurant or heaving tour buses. Instead, at Scion, you get a decidedly personal experience in the light-filled minimalist tasting room, where switched-on staff take the time to talk you through a tasting that’s more relaxed than most.

If the sun’s out, a youngish crowd will be reverse BYOing: picnicking at tables under the gum trees with glasses of something minimal intervention. The pick of the bunch is the Super V, a spicy and complex unfiltered viognier.

74 Slaughterhouse Road, Rutherglen, scionwine.com.au

Best for the family

Bridge Road Brewers hits all the marks for a family pit stop. Located in a former 1850s coach house, it’s roomy, and restless little people can run around in a next-level playground.

The menu champions the ultimate all-ages food: pizza. Go for the crowd-pleasing cheese rendition with fior di latte and oregano. More adult palates might prefer the verdure verde, heaped with seasonal greens and confit garlic.

With 20 rotating tap beers, the smart move is to get a sample paddle and try out quirkier options that might not always make it to your local, whether that’s a mango sour with hints of yuzu or the subtly chocolatey dark harvest IPA.

50 Ford Street, Beechworth, bridgeroadbrewers.com.au