Hunter Valley Wine Tasting Tour Options

• Stop at a gas station on the motorway for coffee
• Visit a wildlife park & zoo on the way
• Visit the big mass market commercial wineries & their retail shops
• Have a fixed itinerary
• Visit the display gardens
• Visit the aqua golf facility
• Visit the cheese & chocolate retail shops
• Drop off our guests at the cellar door sales bars to be sold to by their staff
• Lunch at a fast food outlet

...as do most other wine tour services, since we spend all of the time available on the day discovering & tasting the most interesting wines.

I will collect you from your Sydney accommodation in my comfortable midi coach and drive 190 kms north through the picturesque Ku Ring Gai Chase National Park to the Hunter Valley Wine Country.

If you are already in the region I will collect you from your accommodation about 10 a.m.

There are 140 wineries in the region & I will give you an in-depth insight into the very best of the establishment era (1850's) traditionalists & modern era (post 1960's) contemporary wineries.

I am the only Oenologist (winemaker) hosting wine tours in Australia & I personally conduct the private wine tastings, not the sales staff, as is the case with all other wine tours. You will therefore not be exposed to the hard sell of their regular commercial wines & have access to my 40+ years of experience, great knowledge of & passion for fine Australian wines.

I will host you through private sit-down tastings of the top wines, including some cellar-matured older vintages not offered to the public. You will get to taste in-depth a wide range of wines on the day, with particular focus on what the Hunter Valley specializes in; white wines such as Semillon, Chardonnay & Verdelho, with red wines such as Shiraz & Pinot Noir. I will guide you through vertical flights of the very long ageing dry Semillons for which the region is world famous, as well as Shiraz made from ancient vines planted in the 1800's.

I will also introduce you to some very exciting cool climate region grown wines, from the high altitude vineyards of the Snowy Mountains; Sancerre style Sauvignon Blanc, Alsatian style Pinot Gris, Chablis style Chardonnay, elegant Burgoyne style Pinot Noir & refined Cote de Rotie style Shiraz.

Please wear sturdy closed toed shoes, as I will be taking you into a vineyard & a working wine cellar, so strict OH&S rules apply - no other wine tour does this.

Lunch will be at either Muse Kitchen or at Esca at Bimbadgen. Muse's proprietor & chef Troy Rhoades-Brown showcases the finest gourmet fare of the region in his daily a la carte menu. Muse Kitchen was awarded a chef's hat (like a Michelin star) in 2012-2019 for culinary excellence.

After lunch & further private wine tastings I will return you to your accommodation in the region around 5:30 p.m., or to your Sydney accommodation at about 7:30 p.m.

So no matter what your current knowledge is of fine Aussie wines, you will get to learn a lot on the day in a very personal & casual atmosphere.

The cost for the full day wine tasting tour is $200 per person from Sydney & $125 per person from within the region, which includes; transport, morning tea, my wine expert hosting & all wine tastings. Lunch is your own expense. Read less.

This private tour is ideal for couples, families or anyone interested in a very intimate look behind the scenes of the region's finest wineries. I will customise the itinerary to match your particular interests.

We have a number of luxury vehicles to accommodate you, depending on the size of your group.

Please contact me and I will start working on your itinerary and present you with a quote.Read less.

This tour is perfect for corporate events or large parties as we can accommodate any number of guests. To combat the time constraints that many large tours struggle with, I can ensure that you spend as much time as possible within the wineries tasting and enjoying the wines.

Price is dependent on numbers so please contact me for a quote. Read less.