Hunter Valley wineries: a local guide to the region

The Hunter Valley is Australia's oldest wine region and the largest in New South Wales, with more than 150 wineries and vines that go back to the 1820s. The warm climate lets grapes ripen fully, which is why the region is known for fruity, full-bodied wines. It's split into three sub-regions — Pokolbin, Lovedale and Broke-Fordwich — each with its own character, so it helps to pick a focus rather than try to do the lot in one day.

Pokolbin is the historic heart, where the highest concentration of wineries sits. Tyrrell's is one of the oldest names here, with Murray Tyrrell planting his first vines in 1858; its Vat 1 Semillon, made since 1963, is Australia's most awarded white. Mount Pleasant was established in 1921 by Maurice O'Shea, widely regarded as Australia's greatest ever winemaker, and the estate holds vines dating back to 1880. Brokenwood, founded in 1970 by James Halliday AM, John Beeston and Tony Albert, has an eight-million-dollar cellar door with a tasting room, terrace, two restaurants, a wine museum and a Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz lounge, and puts out about 100,000 dozen bottles a year. Audrey Wilkinson sits on a hilltop with 360-degree vineyard views, while McGuigan is a four-generation family operation of more than a century that offers bottle engraving. Gundog Estate pours boutique lots of Riesling, Semillon and Shiraz from the historic Pokolbin School House, and De Bortoli is known for its Noble One Botrytis Semillon. For something different, Peterson House does sparkling in white, pink and red, and Glandore Estate runs a two-hour immersive experience from grape to wine.

Lovedale sits right next to Pokolbin and leans boutique and family-run, so it's generally less crowded. Gartelmann, founded in 1996 by Jan and Jorg Gartelmann and bought by Matt Dillow in December 2020, is a landmark with a cafe, garden, gelato and juices. Capercaillie plays on Scottish heritage with wines like Ghillie Shiraz and Angus Durif, and Saltire Estate has its own Scottish connection, a picnic area and a resident dwarf schnauzer named Max. Domaine de Binet is known for blends like Le Crazy Coq, and Molly Morgan, which opened late in 2024, is pet-friendly and leans on its rosé.

Broke-Fordwich centres on the town of Broke at the foot of the Brokenback Range and was the second region in Australia to be designated a Geographic Indication, in 2003. The Fordwich Sill, a plug of red weathered volcanic clay nearly 200 million years old, runs through the middle, with about 500 hectares under vine across the sub-region. Margan is one of the most famous names here, farming around 90 hectares on the Sill with 50-year-old traditional varieties alongside contemporary styles, and its restaurant has been serving hyper-seasonal food since 2007. Winmark Wines has a large outdoor sculpture park and a contemporary art gallery, while Running Horse pours from a cellar door made of six shipping containers overlooking the stables.

A few practical notes before you go. Tastings are roughly A$10 to A$25 a head and often drop if you buy a bottle, with bottles sitting around A$20 to A$60. Most cellar doors open from 10:00 to 17:00 daily, though some close on Mondays or Tuesdays, so it's worth a quick check before you set off. A full visit takes about eight to nine hours door-to-door for three or four wineries, and if you'd rather not drive, the iHop Hunter Valley bus loops between 14 stops and reaches more than 40 venues.