Hunter Valley Wine Trail

## Australia's Oldest Wine Region The Hunter Valley holds a special place in Australian wine history. Vines were first planted here in the 1820s, making it the country's oldest continually producing wine region. Today, more than 137 wineries dot the rolling hills between Cessnock and Broke, drawing visitors from Sydney and beyond for weekends of tasting, eating, and relaxing in one of NSW's most accessible wine destinations. The region sits in a shallow basin surrounded by the Brokenback Range to the west. The climate is warm and humid — not the obvious recipe for fine wine — yet the Hunter produces two styles that are genuinely world-renowned: Hunter Semillon and Hunter Shiraz. ## What to Drink Hunter Valley Semillon is one of Australia's great wine originals. Picked early to preserve acidity, it's lean and almost austere in youth, but with five to ten years in the bottle it transforms into something extraordinary — toasty, honeyed, and deeply complex. Tyrrell's Wines has been making benchmark Semillon from old Pokolbin vines for generations, and their Vat 1 is considered one of Australia's finest white wines. Hunter Shiraz is earthy, medium-bodied, and savoury rather than fruit-forward — a style that divides opinion but rewards those who appreciate finesse over power. Brokenwood Wines' Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz is among the most collectable expressions of the style. Mount Pleasant Wines, another historic name on Marrowbone Road, produces consistently excellent Shiraz from some of the region's oldest vines. Chardonnay and Verdelho are also widely grown and worth exploring. Scarborough Wine Co is particularly well regarded for its Chardonnay, while Petersons Champagne House offers a different direction with traditional-method sparkling wines — a rarity in the Hunter. ## Key Cellar Doors Pokolbin is the heart of the cellar door trail, and you can spend a full weekend without leaving its back roads. Bimbadgen sits on a ridge with sweeping views and a full restaurant — ideal for a long lunch. Tempus Two has a contemporary cellar door that works well for groups. Audrey Wilkinson, one of the oldest estates in the region, offers tastings on a hillside veranda overlooking established vines. For something a little different, head west to Broke. Margan Wines runs a well-regarded restaurant alongside its cellar door and is a good anchor for exploring the Broke Fordwich subregion, which has its own distinct character and slightly cooler conditions than Pokolbin. Drayton's Family Wines and Tulloch Wines are both long-established family operations that offer a more relaxed, traditional cellar door experience without the crowds that can gather at larger venues on busy weekends. ## Food and Dining The Hunter Valley has a solid food scene anchored to its winery restaurants. Four of the trail's wineries offer full dining, and the standard is generally high. Long lunches are very much part of the culture here — book ahead, particularly on weekends and during school holidays. Outside the wineries, Cessnock and the surrounding towns have cafes and casual eateries that cater well to road trippers. ## Planning Your Visit The Hunter Valley is roughly two hours from Sydney via the M1 and Hunter Expressway, making it one of the most practical wine regions in the country for a weekend trip. Pokolbin is the logical base, with a good range of accommodation from luxury lodges to caravan parks. The trail is well suited to self-driving, but if your group wants to taste freely, a number of local operators run day tours from both Sydney and within the valley. Cycling between cellar doors is also popular — the terrain is relatively flat around Pokolbin and purpose-built cycling maps are available locally. With 15 cellar doors open to visitors, the Hunter offers enough variety for a full weekend without feeling rushed. A practical approach is to pick three or four stops per day, allow time for a proper lunch, and save a favourite for late afternoon when things quieten down.