The Hunter wine region, just two hours north of Sydney can be a tricky place to navigate if you don’t know where to go. There are so many great cellar doors to visit, but here are eight of my favourites.
Mount Pleasant – 401 Marrowbone Road, Pokolbin NSW
Steeped in history, Mount Pleasant is the place where Australian fine wine was born. Some of the vines here are well over 100 years old and were once tended by Australia’s own legendary winemaker, Maurice O’Shea. The cellar door staff are passionate, knowledgeable and respectful of this place’s history, and a taste of their wines will put you in good stead for the rest of your journey throughout the valley.
Ask to taste the Elizabeth Semillon and Old Hill Shiraz.
Tinklers - Pokolbin Mountains Road, Pokolbin NSW
The Tinklers are farmers first and winemakers second, and it’s not just grapes they grow on the rolling hills of their Pokolbin property. Seasonal produce like avocados, lemons and limes, pumpkins, watermelons, peaches and figs are also sold in the cellar door. But the wine is why you’re here. You can lean against the heavy timber bar or sit down amongst the barrels and drink Hunter wines, made and grown in the same place by the same family for more than the last 100 years. Ask to taste the Viognier and U & I Shiraz.
Gundog Estate - 101 McDonald’s Road, Pokolbin NSW
Gundog Estate’s cellar door used to be the old Pokolbin schoolhouse, where local students would learn how to read and write and practice their times tables. Today, the schoolhouse has been transformed into a cellar door, where staff won’t give you detention if you’ve failed to learn the difference between a primary and secondary fermentation.
The cellar door is always busy on weekends with people tasting classic Hunter Valley wines with a contemporary twist. You will probably learn something about wine too, especially if winemaker Matt Burton and his offsider Nick are around. Ask to taste the Wild Semillon and new Indomitus range.
Bimbadgen Estate – 790 McDonalds Road, Pokolbin, NSW
Bimbadgen is an Indigenous word that means ‘many great views’, and that’s exactly what you’ll get when you visit this cellar door. Grab a glass of their viognier or shiraz and look out over panoramic views of the Brokenback range to the south and Barrington Tops to the north. Ask to taste the Estate Chardonnay and Estate Viognier.
Hart & Hunter – 463 Deaseys Road, Pokolbin NSW
Tucked away on Deaseys road, you’ll find one of the Hunter’s newest wine labels. Hart & Hunter don’t only have a great taste for wine, but music as well. Their sole focus is on Hunter Valley fruit, so you won’t find a sauvignon blanc here – just tremendous semillon, chardonnay and shiraz, native to the region. Ask to taste all of them!
Macquariedale –170 Sweetwater Road, Belford NSW
Biodynamic duo Ross and Derice McDonald were one of the first Hunter Valley winegrowers to be certified organic. They also grow and produce delicious garlic and olive oil on their Rothbury property, but it’s the wines that will give you a reason to stay. You can taste whites and reds in their gorgeous cellar door at the top of the hill while you watch the sun set over the Brokenback on a crisp, wintry afternoon. Ask to taste the verdelho and Thomas Shiraz.
Oakvale – 1596 Broke Road, Pokolbin NSW
The Oakvale label has been growing grapes and making wine in the Hunter Valley since the 1890s. second-generation winemaker Bob Elliot used to sell wine to Maurice O’Shea from up the road at Mount Pleasant. Today, the Becker family name is above the cellar door and their respect for Oakvale’s rich past is more evident than ever. Son James Becker recently took over the winemaking reins full time. He has a not-so-secret love for Hunter chardonnay, which is deliciously revealed in every glass. Ask to taste the Ablington Chardonnay and shiraz.
Krinklewood – 712 Wollombi Road, Broke NSW
Krinklewood is one of the most peaceful destinations for wine in the whole Hunter Valley. Their cellar door is nestled beneath the foothills of the Brokenback range, in the sub-region of Broke, one of the region’s most charming places to visit. Echoing somewhere in France, Krinklewood’s vineyard has more than just grapevines. The sheep eat the weeds, the worms turn the soil, and Minty the dog stands watchful over all of it. Ask to taste the Francesca Rosé and Spiders Run White.
