Hunter Valley Wine Tasting Tours - Only a two hour drive from Sydney is the Hunter Valley - famous as Australia’s oldest wine growing region.
Late January to late March is the harvest season, but there are things to do the year round and plenty of cellar doors to visit for tastings, even buy a case or two.
The Cessnock Information Centre is an excellent place to start, it provides information for the many wineries operating here and can arrange bookings for such diverse activities available in the Hunter as ballooning, tours and horse riding.
Cessnock Information Centre at Phone (02) 4990 4477.
Wines
The many varieties grown here include superb Semillon, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. Wyndham Estate, Tyrrell’s Vineyards, Rosemount Estate, Peppers Creek, Lindemans, Lake’s Folly and Farrell’s Wines are amongst the many esteemed wineries operating here.
Most of the cellar door tastings are free, even large groups can be accommodated if you book in advance.
Hunter Wine Regions
Connected by the Hunter River, there are two distinct regions, the Lower and the Upper Hunter. In the lower Hunter area there is also the registered wine sub-region of Broke Fordwich.
The Hunter has many other things to offer such as horseriding and ballooning, and of course gourmet restaurants befitting such a renowned wine area.
Tours
With the many winery tours available from Sydney, you don’t even have to drive if you don’t want to... so you can savour them for yourself without having to worry about getting home safely.
There are a number of wineries operating around the periphery of Sydney as well. Tours are available for these and the Hunter from Sydney at Circular Quay and places like Newcastle and Gosford.
Things to Do
Check out the Cellars at the many Wineries
Ballooning
Bicyling
Gourmet Picnic from Local Produce
Sampling fine local Cheeses and Chocolates
Horse Riding
Accommodation
If you wish to stay for the weekend, its better to book your accommodation in advance as the Hunter is very popular with Sydneysiders. There is however, accommodation available from the budget to the luxurious.
Newcastle is another option for hotels, since it is so close to the Hunter Valley, as is Gosford. There is a wide variety of pub stays, lodges and motels in the smaller towns dotted across the Hunter. Of course, you could stay in Sydney as well, as the drive is only about 1.5 hours.
Dining Restaurants
Combined with the many great restaurants that the Hunter region has to offer, allows you to sample the fresh seafood that Australia is famous for. There are many other delicious cuisines made from locally grown produce, from Italian to Australian Noveau to Japanese.
Some of these restaurants have extensive wine lists spanning many years. At the same time, the Aussie tradition of B.Y.O. (bring your own - wine) gives you another chance to enjoy your choices from the cellar door sales available from the many Hunter Valley wineries.
