With beach weather coming to an end and Autumn rolling around the corner, you may be looking for some new #weekend #getaways that are comparable to the #Sydney beaches. This one is for #wine and #cheese lovers, and those who enjoy a long drive away from Sydney City – Hunter Valley! This was the perfect spot for my friends and me to take a weekend away from Sydney and enjoy the peace and quiet of rural #NSW, where we had horses in our backyard and endless bottles of #wine and #cheese to create our perfect charcuterie board.
The Hunter region has over 150 vineyards that range from family-owned to commercially run, meaning that it may be super hard to choose which vineyards you may want to visit. However, there are some tours run, and below I’ll be talking about my favourite one – hv tours run by Julie.
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We were picked up by a private tour bus right from our doorstep and were brought to new locations we’d never heard of before. We went to 2 vineyards, one distillery, and a cute chocolate and cheese shop where we proceeded to buy half the shop as gifts for our friends and family.
Comyns & Co
Our first vineyard was a family-owned one right in the center of Hunter valley called Comyns & Co, and I must say I regret not purchasing more bottles of white wine, and even their specialty of dessert wine which was consumed later that night. The host was extremely friendly, even replacing certain red wine samples (as we were not fans) with more whites to give a go. Additionally, being right in the heart of Hunter meant that we were able to sip our drinks with a gorgeous view- a refreshing reminder of how picturesque the area was – the perfect blend of indulgence and natural beauty. The packaging and names of the wine were unique and splattered with colour and abstract images which served as sentimental value to the owners.
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Hunter Distillery
The next place we visited brought us back to our chemistry lab days, where we were served alcohol in test tubes, which added to the whole experience. The alcohols ranged from gin, vodka, aged liquors, liqueurs & Schnapps. The flavours were super adventurous and unique, such as chilli Vodka and Lychee Liqueur.
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This place would be a great visit for spirit enthusiasts who are also curious about the distillery process and how surprisingly delicious the final product does taste. Included in the tour were 6x2ml testing tubes to try, however, if you are feeling curious or in the mood to become day drunk, there are other samples that can be purchased to get that full ‘Hungover Hunter’ experience! And, to top it off, if any drinks left a memorable impression on you, they are ready to purchase for your next big event, or even just to kick off a busy day.
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D'Vine Treats
My friends and I realised kicking the day off with wine tours before eating was probably not the smartest thing to do and were relieved when we stopped at D’vine Treats to taste test some artisanal treats such as chocolate and cheese. The cheese tasted extremely fresh, and we even bought some to take home in bulk, along with novelty snacks such as chocolate-covered almonds and hazelnuts, and extra crackers for our cheese. The hosts there were also very friendly, being the perfect listening ears for my group’s drunken 2 pm thoughts as we sat around eating the gourmet cheese.
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Polbokin Garden Cellars
Our final vineyard tour of the day was at Garden Cellars in Hunter Valley where we learned more in-depth about the types of grapes used to make wines and the actual wine-making process. Since it was a garden cellar, we were able to try the different wines whilst looking straight at the dense and richly- populated garden of vineyards. A specialty that they had here was their glittery white wine which, once shaken would look galactic-like and was accompanied by a crisp and floral flavour. Again, there were unique liqueurs such as popcorn liqueur and caramel vodka.
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So… I’d say book that trip!
Overall, I’d rate that trip a 10/10- points for being the perfect weekend getaway from Sydney, and for such an amazing tour of the Hunter region. We were able to consume more wine in one day than we ever have and were lucky enough to buy some back to our accommodation to have a girls’ night in.
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