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The ultimate Hunter Valley weekend for every traveller

By Craig Tansley

September 17, 2021 — 2.54pm

This is sponsored content for Destination NSW and the Hunter Valley Wine & Tourism Association

The Hunter Valley is one of Australia's best wine regions, here we look at the ultimate weekend itinerary for every type of traveller.

Foodies

Food lovers rejoice, you're in for one heck of a weekend of indulgence. Book in to Leaves & Fishes. You can enjoy lunch at the on-site restaurant and make sure you take the time later in the day to enjoy sunset from your Boathouse room overlooking the pond.

Take in a winery or two after lunch. Then get set for a delicious dinner at one of only a handful of restaurants in regional Australia to receive two hats from the Sydney Morning Herald's Good Food Guide, Muse Restaurant. Settle in for the four-course degustation menu - don't miss the slow-cooked wagyu tri-tip, wood-fired local green peppers and shiso chimichurri.

Plan your Sunday around a really special long lunch at Margan Wines & Restaurant who are pioneers of "agri-dining" in the area. Finish your weekend off with dinner at The Mill Restaurant at Estate Tuscany and a night's accommodation on-site.

Couples

Drive to one of the Hunter's prettiest vineyards, Two Rivers, for a cheese and antipasto brunch platter on the veranda overlooking the vines – the most romantic setting to look up at the mountains of the Brokenback Range.

Then enjoy a late lunch (the battered fish and chips is legendary) at The Vines Restaurant, within the 350-acre Hollydene Estate. Top off the day with time out to savour your colonial surroundings (think: white-washed walls edged with enormous verandas looking out on gum trees and mountain ranges) at Spicers Guesthouse. It's a short walk from your room to its Italian restaurant, éRemo. Opt for the Avido ('greedy' in Italian) menu – the chef's selection of dishes served share-style.

It starts at 4am, but what better way to really see the Hunter Valley than sunrise from the basket of a hot air balloon? Get the best bird's eye view you'll ever get of the grapes. Then enjoy a buffet breakfast at the Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley. Spend the rest of your day wine tasting, and take in a bit of chocolate decadence with gourmet chocolates handmade in small batches at Cocoa Nib within Keith Tulloch Wines.

Wine lovers

Don't drive – you'll want to 'study' the wines properly. Take a chauffeured car service with Kings Hire Car. Begin your day of wine tasting at Vinden Wines. The Hunter Valley is Australia's oldest commercial wine region (1828) and vines were first grown on this stunning estate (its homestead is based on mid-19th Century Victorian architectural style) in 1891. All wines are farmed organically.

Then your chauffeur will take you to Keith Tulloch Wines in Pokolbin. Try a tasting on the wide veranda overlooking its vineyard and the mountains of the Brokenback Ranges. This is the Hunter Valley's first carbon-neutral winery.

Book into the homestead at Vinden Estate so you can wake next to the grapes. Make a visit to the heart of the Hunter Valley, to Australia's largest certified organic wine producer, Tamburlaine Organic Wines. Sit amongst its 34-hectare estate and try its sparkling white, not a variety you'll find too much of in the Hunter. The annual Hunter Valley Food & Wine Festival takes place throughout June. Among the events not to miss is the prestigious Grange v Hunter at the Wine House Hunter Valley, where Australia's most celebrated wine, Penfolds Grange, goes up for battle against the three best wines from the Hunter.

Friends

Start your weekend at one of the most loved cellar doors in the Hunter Valley for a bubbly breakfast. Restaurant Cuvee is located inside Peterson House with stunning views out over the grapes. The Bubbly Breakfast is avocado, cherry tomatoes, baked beans, hash brown bites, field mushroom, feta, fried eggs and toasted sourdough with a glass of bubbles to start your day. Then make your own lunch! Join a cooking class at Estate Tuscany for a two or three-hour group challenge with an executive chef. Each team has to create their own three-course menu.

Then soak up sunset at your own private estate cottage or house. Jindalee Estate offers a range of 100% off-the-grid eco-properties which can fit up to eight people. Next morning head to Handmade In The Hunter Markets, held in the gardens of Sobels Wines in the heart of the Hunter Valley. Shop till you drop, local artisans and producers man stalls which reveal the variety of goods grown and made here.

Finish your weekend with a casual lunch (don't go past the American Pork Ribs) listening to live music in the gardens of Saddlers Creek Wines. Enjoy a tasting and buy a bottle and soak up the afternoon ambience.

Families

Entertain the whole family (there's a minimum age restriction of 11) on a Segway tour that will take you under the Brokenback Mountain Range on a road built by early settlers and convicts. You'll pass right through one of Australia's most famous wineries, McGuigan Vineyard, and stumble on kangaroos and wombats along the way. Then have a picnic while you get up close and personal with the animals at Hunter Valley Zoo.

There's daily animal shows and you can feed kangaroos, farm animals and birds. Then check in to the ideal family resort, Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley – with its own kids club so parents can check out the championship golf course on-site, the pool area or the impressive day spa. Next day take the kids out for a fun day of rides and experiences at the Hunter Valley Gardens. There's everything there from a Ferris wheel, carousel and the swing chair to ride. During winter's Snow Time in the Garden event, there is also an ice skating rink and ice tobogganing

Find more to explore in the Hunter Valley at winecountry.com.au.

For more NSW travel inspiration head to visitnsw.com.

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The Sydney Morning Herald