The Hunter Valley is north of Sydney in New South Wales and is one of Australia’s major wine regions.  The drive is approximately 2.5 hours from the Eastern Suburbs.

Hunter Valley produces both wine and gourmet food.

Accommodation –
We stayed in a 3 bedroom villa with 2 other couples for 2 nights. Another couple stayed in a 1 bedroom for 1 night.
Crown Plaza Lovedale has a great huge pool and spa. James and I enjoyed both on the Friday afternoon after a 2 Fat Blokes winery tour.
The resort also has a golf course, golf ranging, a gym, a carousel for kids, a kids locomotive train, a large naughts and crosses board and a large chess board.

Price range for 2 nights in a 3 Bedroom villa was $1440.00 AUD. Each couple paid $480.00 AUD.

https://www.ihg.com/crowneplaza/hotels/us/en/lovedale/ntlhv/hoteldetail?cm_mmc=GoogleMaps--CP--AUS-_-NTLHV

Tours –

2 Fat Blokes winery tour was great and took us to 3 boutique wineries. The 2 Fat Blokes tour company arrange a pick-up and drop-off to your accommodation, it’s very convenient and everyone in your group can just relax and enjoy the day.

Our half day afternoon tour included: –

• VIP wine tasting at 3 top wineries
• Cheese and wine matching experience ($25pp included value)
• Pick-up and drop-off to our accommodation
• Knowledgeable tour guide
• Comfortable transport

My friends and I had a great afternoon enjoying wines and cheese and loads of laughs. I highly recommend doing a winery tour with friends, it’s a day I will always remember.

Price $60 AUD.

https://twofatblokes.com.au/

Below are the 3 wineries included in our 2 Fat Blokes tour:-

1. Ernest and Hill Wines –

This boutique winery is a family owned business that has changed names a few times. You will enjoy the wine tasting here and the host was lovely. The host was knowledgeable and provided quite a range of wines for tasting.

http://www.ernesthillwines.com.au/

2. Ivanhoe Wines–

The Ivanhoe Winery was one of the most gorgeous estates we visited. The host was nice and I found the winery here interesting and even learned a bit about Chardonnay. I have not been able to drink Chardonnay for 20 years and we were told at Ivanhoe Winery if you hold your glass with both hands for a few minutes it warms up the wine and changes the taste of the Chardonnay to not as dry. Another tip, Chardonnay tastes much better chilled, but not refrigerated. Give it a go and let me know if the wine changes for you.

The vineyards are stunning here. In our free time, James, Emma and I ran around the back of the cellar taking selfies. It was such a funny afternoon and I loved this winery so much. The host was nice and the feel of the winery was welcoming.

http://www.ivanhoewines.com.au/about/

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3. De Illusis Wines –

Before the wine and cheese tasting, Emma and I had photos on a bench then out of nowhere a bird pooped on us. We were in absolute stitches. Was a moment that had to be seen to be funny.

I enjoyed the De Iuliis wines and on this tour, we were seated in a small room with 2 long communal tables where we had a cheese and wine tasting experience. We had 9  local Australian & International cheeses that were paired with De Iuliis wines.

Here you have an opportunity to taste and purchase the full range of our wines, many of which are exclusive to the Cellar Door.

Besides wines, here you will find a wide selection of gourmet foods like cheeses, pates, home-made pies.

http://www.dewine.com.au/cellar-door

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Event –

Our Hunter Valley weekend was for the “Red Hot Summer Tour, it was a great day of great classics. We caught a bus at our hotel that was specifically for the concert. The concert was held at Roche Estate about 7 minutes down the road from us however due to road closures the bus driver had to drive the longest route there. We arrived at Roche Estate at 1 pm, the drive took 20 minutes. We got through the gates pretty quickly and security was pretty good when checking people’s items, allowing the crowd to flow smoothly. I was stunned how packed out the grounds were within the 1 hour of opening. We managed to find a good spot and enough room to be comfortable with our rugs and fold out chairs.

Queuing for beverages was a bit of a nightmare therefore always make sure to buy 4 drinks per person or whatever the limit is at each concert to save yourself queuing for 30 minutes or more. Luckily, James and I queued for beverages within 30 minutes of arriving and only waited for 10 minutes. The food, on the other hand, had no queues, I was impressed with the food options on the day e.g Japanese, Thai and Goldfish pizza. Although the pizza was not the best as it was not cooked on the spot, unfortunately.

The “Red Hot Summer Tour” was fantastic and I highly recommend visiting Hunter Valley for concerts, it was great to hear some of my fave old classics. My bestie Emma loves the music a lot more than me and we had a fun time at the front of the stage singing along to some of the music for each band during daylight. Once the evening set upon us, we remained seated in our area enjoying the music.

Hunter Valley concerts or any other similar location fascinates me now and I hope to do another concert in a winery in the future.

Price approximately $99.00 AUD.

http://www.redhotsummertour.com.au/Venue_hunter.htm

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Wineries –

McGuigans Wines- 

McGuigans Wines is my favourite winery in Hunter Valley who have exclusive labels such as Cellar Select and a Personal Reserve. An exclusive boutique where wines can only be purchased at the winery or online/phone purchases.  I guarantee McGuigans wines will not disappoint you. I walked away with 2 cases of a mixture of wine, red and dessert wines.

My favourites are –

• McGuigan Personal Reserve Botrytis Semillon 2012
• McGuigan Personal Reserve Late Picked Traminer 2016
• McGuigan Cellar Select Autumn Harvest Semillon 2016

• McGuigan Cellar Select Noon Harvest Merlot 2016

• McGuigan Cellar Select Shiraz 2015

• McGuigan Cellar Select Summer Shiraz 2015

Unfortunately, our visit to Hunter Valley was brief otherwise I would have enjoyed a tour of the winery where they show you how they get the grapes from the vine to the bottle. The winery is open 7 days a week and tours depart daily at 12 noon, please contact McGuigan’s to make a booking.

http://www.mcguiganwines.com.au/

Tamburlaine Winery- 

Tamburlaine is Australia’s largest producer of organic wines. I came across this winery 20 years ago and on my return visit loved the location and winery’s establishment, however, did not have the opportunity to come across a wine I liked. Please make sure to visit this winery.

http://www.tamburlaine.com.au/

Petersons Wines and Petersons House –

Petersons Wines have two cellar doors in the Hunter Valley, Cellar Door at Mount View and the other is located in the heart of Pokolbin on Broke Road.

We visited Peterson House for our friends Birthday, this winery is gorgeous. When you arrive through the gates you are greeted with rose bushes from the entrance to the start of the parking lot. The back of the property has a function area in the vineyard and a helicopter take off area. Petersons House has a cellar door, oyster bar and a restaurant. We enjoyed a lovely champagne breakfast for Amy’s birthday.  Make sure to visit the cellar door and enjoy a wine tasting from the lovely friendly crew. This cellar also has some gifts or souvenirs you may want to buy for family and friends or maybe even yourself. I bought Amy a birthday gift and myself a coffee mug, pen and a pink poncho.

This vineyard also offers a wonderful setting for a wedding ceremony.

http://www.petersonswines.com.au/  and https://www.petersonhouse.com.au/

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Garden Cellars –

My very first wine tasting on this trip, was a great way to start the day.  Here you can taste some boutique wine, beer or liqueurs. There are 17 flavoured vodkas, schnapps and liqueurs from the Hunter Distillery.

This cellar is open every day from 10 am until 5.30 pm.

http://www.huntervalleygardens.com.au/hvg/visitor-info/village-shops/hunter-valley-cellars/#villagesubpage_894

Roche Estate – 

Wine tastings run 7 days a week at the Tempus Two Cellar.  The estate also includes The Hunter Valley Smelly Cheese Shop, restaurants and cocktail bar.

Hunter Valley Smelly Cheese Shop has local and imported cheese and gourmet foods, including its own products.  The store is opened 7 days a week 10.00am – 5.00pm.

Goldfish is an award winning small bar pizza, open 7 days a week from 12 pm til late.  The Head Chef Michael Blank (Bathers’ Pavilion and Hugo’s Manly) has created a menu with variety.

http://www.rocheestate.com.au/

Restaurants –

The Lovedale Bar and Restaurant- 

The Lovedale Bar and Restaurant is located on the ground floor by the pool and next to the Lovedale Brewery and Distillery.  Try the steak and mash or fries, you will not regret it.

Mains range from $21.00 AUD to $32.00 AUD.

http://www.crowneplazahuntervalley.com.au/dining/the-lovedale/

Enzo
Located in a village called Peppers Creek not far from the Hunter Valley Gardens.
When dining at Enzo’s ensure you arrive early to avoid missing out on a table or perhaps try to reserve a table. Both indoors and outdoors are nice, hard to choose which is better.
The service and food are good here.

Mains range from $26.00 AUD to $38.00 AUD.

www.enzohuntervalley.com.au

Taste of the Country –

Taste of the country is a quaint little cafe located at Hunter Valley Gardens Village with white washed furniture and lots of funny and interesting framed quotes. We met our friends for a delicious breakfast here before the 2 Fat Blokes winery tour.

Other –

Hunter Valley Chocolate Company –

This store is huge and has a wide selection of chocolate and unique fudge. James loved the creme brulee and the OMG. The store also has online shopping.

http://www.hvchocolate.com.au/site/index.cfm

Peppers Creek –

• Australian Alpaca Barn – James and I had fun in this store admiring the wool and trying on Kosako Alpaca Hats.
• The Pukara Estate Tasting Room – A great place to visit, see and taste the full range of Pukara Estate products.
• Maple Homewares – Maple stocks homewares, jewelry, hand bags and gifts.
• David Hook Wines – We did not get a chance to experience this winery, however, I had a peek inside and thought it was quite nice and the wine tasting appeared to be inexpensive.
• Cafe Enzo – Open for breakfast and lunch every day.  I recommend a visit to this quaint cafe. More details above under Dining.
• Functions – Held at the Peppers Creek Barrel Room and Weddings at the gorgeous Peppers Creek Chapel.
  • Peppers Creek Chapel – The sandstone chapel is gorgeous and located in the vineyard.
  • Peppers Creek Barrel Room is where receptions are held.
• Accommodation – The Residence, The Yacht Club and The Racquet Club.

http://www.pepperscreek.com.au/

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Helicopter rides – 

During our stay, helicopter rides were regularly flying around the valley. At first, I did not think Hunter Valley would be a location I would fly around as I have flown into the Grand Canyon, however, when in Hunter I thought a bird’s eye view of Hunter Valley would actually be amazing to see all the acres of vineyards and wineries at that scope.

http://huntervalleyhelicopters.com.au/

Hot Air Ballooning –

Hot air ballooning, wow what an experience that would be. Not for the faint hearted like me, though. If you love to give anything a go then do experience the Hot Air Balloon in Hunter Valley and please let me know about your experience, I would love to hear all about it.

http://www.winecountry.com.au/things-to-see-do/hot-air-ballooning

Horse Riding – 

During our stay in the Hunter Valley, I noticed the horse and carriage to be quite popular. I personally have had the pleasure in both Melbourne and New York and highly suggest enjoying this experience at least once.

http://huntervalleyhorseriding.com.au/

Hunter Valley Gardens – 

I personally have not experienced the gardens however friends have mentioned how beautiful it is. There are many gardens, fountains and statues on the over 60 acres property.  The property also has a Hunter Valley Gardens Train that circulates for a 35 minute tour.

Hunter Valley Gardens Shopping Village –

Aqua Golf and Putt-Putt, restaurants, cafes, a cellar, boutique shops and a beautiful chapel for wedding ceremonies or christenings.

http://www.huntervalleygardens.com.au/hvg/

Hunter Valley is a location I recommend for both Australians and International tourists to visit for a fun relaxing time.

Please follow the link attached for more interesting information on Hunter Valley –http://www.australia.com/en/places/nsw/hunter-valley.html