One of regional New South Wales’ most recognisable farm-to-table restaurants is set to close its doors after 12 years, only months after its owners redesigned the venue to bring it closer to its original vision.
Zin Food + Wine House in Mudgee will welcome its final diners on December 21, owners Kim Currie and David Lowe confirmed this week.
The couple launched the restaurant as The Zin House in 2014, earning a devoted following for produce-led dishes prepared largely with ingredients grown on their farm and in its gardens.
Earlier this year, they reshaped the acclaimed fine-dining venue, removing “The Zin House” from its name, scrapping the $155 degustation menu and reopening with a more casual $95 offering.
Currie said at the time that the restaurant had evolved into a “bucket-list” destination she scarcely recognised, as local diners were increasingly displaced by visitors marking special occasions.
However, the decision to close was not ultimately driven by the restaurant’s performance. Instead, the couple said they wanted to take back more control of their time.
“After more than a decade as The Zin House, and our recent chapter as Zin Food + Wine House, David and I have decided to close the restaurant at the end of the year,” Currie wrote on Instagram.
“Since opening in 2014, Zin has achieved everything we set out to do and more – highlighting our region, sharing our love of uncomplicated food and wine of outstanding quality, and creating a space for people to connect.”
Zin Food + Wine House in Mudgee will serve its final guests on December 21, owners Kim Currie and David Lowe announced this week
‘The decision to close is a hard one’
Set among Mudgee’s vineyards and gardens, Zin was founded on a straightforward principle: prepare food using what could be grown on the property.
Currie said the restaurant’s direction over its 12-year history had been shaped by three words displayed prominently on her office wall: “generosity, authenticity, quality”.
“From day one our ethos has been to cook simply with what we grow,” she said.
After more than a decade at the helm, however, Currie and Lowe – who also makes wine through Lowe Family Wine Co – said their personal priorities had shifted.
“The decision to close the doors on this chapter is a hard one, but ultimately feels right,” Currie said.
“As parents, grandparents, and business owners, we are at a stage where we want to reprioritise our time.”
Currie said she was looking forward to the freedom to cook when inspiration arrived, refine recipes, write and take on new kitchen projects without the constant pressure of operating a restaurant.
Hidden among the vineyards and gardens of Mudgee, Zin was built around a simple philosophy: cook with what could be grown on the property
The restaurant had only recently undergone a dramatic transformation
The announcement comes just months after Currie took the unusual step of dismantling many of the fine-dining elements that had turned The Zin House into a destination in its own right.
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Although the restaurant had enjoyed considerable success, Currie acknowledged late last year that its awards, acclaim and formal dining structure had gradually pulled it away from the place she had originally hoped to create.
“Every time I heard the word degustation, I cringed. I would look out and think, there’s nobody here I know. The locals aren’t coming. We’ve become a special-occasion place,” she told The Sydney Morning Herald at the time.
The Zin House subsequently became Zin Food + Wine House in January 2026.
The $155 tasting menu was replaced by a $95 set menu influenced by Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cooking, with three small pours of Lowe Family wines included.
The changes were designed to make the restaurant less formal, more affordable and easier for locals to visit regularly.
‘I just want to cook simply, from scratch, with the food that we grow,’ Currie said ahead of the relaunch.
‘After more than a decade as The Zin House, and our recent chapter as Zin Food + Wine House, David and I have decided to close the restaurant at the end of the year,’ Currie said online
‘I want the restaurant to be more inclusive, less expensive, and just a little more energetic and playful.’
Instead of lengthy degustations, dishes were brought to the table together, with menus featuring the likes of flatbread with olive oil and dukkah, za’atar chicken skewers and eggplant prepared three ways.
Opening hours were also expanded across Fridays and Saturdays so customers could stop in for a glass of wine without committing to a lengthy meal.
Even QR codes were introduced to allow diners to access recipes and footage from the vineyard.
It was a deliberate attempt to strip away some of the ceremony the restaurant had accumulated during its success and revive the relaxed farmhouse experience Currie originally envisaged.
A changing landscape for Australian restaurants
Zin’s reinvention came during a difficult period for Australia’s hospitality industry, as rising operating costs and changing spending habits have forced restaurants to reconsider increasingly expensive dining formats.
Currie had already recognised that diners were looking for greater flexibility and value, particularly as households became more selective about how often they ate out.
Rather than continuing to chase the prestige attached to degustation dining, she chose to make Zin more accessible.
The decision to now close means that experiment will ultimately be short-lived, although Currie has made clear the restaurant’s final chapter is ending on her and Lowe’s terms.
She thanked the customers and generations of employees who had contributed to Zin since 2014.
‘To all our customers, the teams who have cooked, served, cleaned, gardened, marketed, and to everyone who has supported us and been part of the Zin journey I offer my heartfelt thanks and warm respect,’ she said.
After 12 years creating one of Mudgee’s most recognisable dining experiences, Currie and Lowe will enter 2027 without a restaurant – and, for the first time in over a decade, with the freedom to choose what comes next.