Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

THE HUNTER VALLEY: WINE TASTING & MORE 181
Tips A Wine-Tasting Tip
Some wineries routinely offer some of their inferior wines for tastings. I’ve
made a habit of asking for a list of their premium wines available for tasting.
Most wineries usually have a bottle or two of their better wines
uncorked for those with a serious interest.
Most of the wineries in the region are open for cellar-door tastings, and it’s
perfectly acceptable just to turn up, taste a couple of wines or more, and then
say your good-byes without buying anything. Though you will come across
some unusual vintages, especially at the boutique wineries, don’t expect to find
any bargains—city bottle shops buy in bulk and at trade price, which means you
can probably get the same bottle of wine for less in Sydney than at the cellar
door in the Hunter.
Drayton Family Wines Drayton’s produces some spectacular shiraz. Oakey
Creek Rd., Pokolbin. & 02/4998 7513. Mon–Fri 9am–5pm; Sat–Sun 10am–5pm.
Hunter Estate Winery The Hunter’s largest winery crushes some 6,500 tons
of grapes a year. Come here for excellent semillon and shiraz. Hermitage Rd., Pokolbin.
& 02/4998 7777. Daily 10am–5pm. Tours daily 11am and 2pm.
Lindemans This famous winery offers an interesting sparkling red shiraz.
McDonald Rd., Pokolbin. & 02/4998 7684. Mon–Fri 9am–4:30pm; Sat–Sun 10am–4:30pm.
McGuigan Brothers Winery Another winery worth visiting in the area,
McGuigan Brothers also has a cheese factory and bakery on the site. McDonald Rd.,
Pokolbin. & 02/4998 7402. Daily 9:30am–5pm. Tours daily at noon.
McWilliams Mount Pleasant Famous for both its Elizabeth Semillon,
which has won 39 trophies and 214 gold medals since 1981, and its Lovedale
Semillon, which has won 39 trophies and 74 gold medals since 1984. Marrowbone
Rd., Pokolbin. & 02/4998 7505. Daily 10am–4:30pm. Tours daily 11am.
Mount View Estate The pioneer of Verdelho wines in Australia; the
Verdelho is a grape attributed to Portugal, which is also grown in small quantities
in Italy and France. It’s a very crisp and dry white wine, which I like with
seafood. Mount View Rd., Mount View. & 02/4990 3307. Daily 10am–5pm.
Peterson’s Champagne House This is the only specialist champagne winery
in the Hunter. At the corner of Broke and Branxton rds., Pokolbin. & 02/4998 7881.
Daily 9am–5pm.
Peterson’s Vineyard Peterson’s produces fine chardonnay, semillon, and shiraz.
Mount View Rd., Mount View. & 02/4990 1704. Mon–Sat 9am–5pm; Sun 10am–5pm.
Rothbury Estate This very friendly winery produces the magnificent Brokenback
Shiraz and the nice Mudgee Shiraz. The Rothbury Café serves meals.
Broke Rd., Pokolbin. & 02/4998 7555. Daily 9:30am–4:30pm.
Tamburlaine Don’t miss this boutique winery, the winner of many wine and
tourism awards. McDonald Rd., Pokolbin. & 02/4998 7570. Daily 9:30am–5pm.
Tinklers If you want to taste the grapes in season, head to Tinklers. It sells
some 30 different varieties of eating grapes between December and March, and
nectarines, plums, peaches, and vegetables at other times of the year. It also
offers wine tasting and free vineyard walks at 11am on Saturday and Sunday.
Pokolbin Mountains Rd., Pokolbin. & 02/4998 7435. Daily 10am–4pm.