Overview
Only two hours' drive north of Sydney, the Hunter Valley is home to some of Australia's most highly awarded wines, and it's a region filled to the brim with history. With summer just around the corner, and adventure on our minds, we've partnered with tours and activities app Klook to bring you a guide to five epic food and drink experiences you can have in the Hunter. And, right now, Klook is offering a Taste of Europe Wine Tour ($199), which includes travelling around on a big, red 1965 double-decker bus. It's especially handy for day trips, and you don't have to fight over who'll be designated driver. If you prefer to hop between cellar doors at your own pace, then check out Klook's $1 Wine Tastings.
TASTE SPARKLING WINES AT PETERSON HOUSE
While the Hunter Valley is better known for semillon than sparkling wine, there's one winery that breaks all the rules. Peterson House, in Pokolbin, has the most extensive array of sparkling wine in the region thanks its founder Ian Peterson, who celebrated his first grandchild's birth by setting out to create his own sparkling wine. Now, Peterson has so many bubbles to choose from, from a pink blush to the traditional pinot noir chardonnay meunier, it's hard to know where to start. Thankfully, it offers a tasting catered to each drinker's personal preferences. You can select your flavour preferences and taste six sparkling wines all chosen specifically for you.
PAIR WINE WITH HANDMADE CHOCOLATES
Ask any sommelier on the planet and they'll tell you the hardest thing to pair with wine is chocolate. But, the folks at Glandore Estate like to face a challenge head-on. Through rigorous trial and error, the team has managed to create a chocolate and wine pairing experience that needs be savoured to believed. Crisp chardonnay is paired with a white chocolate coconut and lime truffle, and a decadent blueberry chocolate square is matched with shiraz. Each one-hour tasting includes six Glandore wines matched with Adora Handmade Chocolates.
INDULGE IN SOME LOCAL CHEESES
When you're working with the name Two Fat Blokes, you know there's going to be unapologetic indulgence on the cards. The Hunter Valley gourmet kitchen and tour operator knows a thing or two about the classic cheese and wine pairing. In a one-hour tasting, you'll get to try nine kinds of cheese, from a locally made labneh to the most epic cheddar selection you've ever tasted. Each cheesy bite is paired with a Hunter Valley wine, from verdelho to tempranillo, showcasing the most complementary flavour combinations. If you're joining Klook's limited All-Inclusive Winery Experience, you'll follow this tasting with an epic Italian-style feast.
BE SERENADED AS YOU SIP
Outside of the hustle and bustle of the central area of the Hunter Valley, you'll discover a secret hideaway known as Iron Gate Estate. As you (literally) pass through the iron gates of this Pokolbin estate you'll feel like you've been transported to a Mediterranean villa, complete with water fountains, rose gardens and, if you've booked Klook's day tour, a sultry Spanish guitar player will serenade you as you settle in with a glass (or two) of wine. And when you've had a long day filled with wine tastings, don't you deserve a little moment of relaxation? The boutique, family-run winery produces chardonnay, sweet shiraz, semillon and sparkling rosé, among other varieties, which you can sample as you pretend you're in Marbella.
Destination NSW
SINK A COUPLE OF FROTHIES
Even the most seasoned of wine drinkers requires a little palate refresher every now and again. When in the Hunter, point your compass in the direction of Iron Bark Hill Brewhouse. It's one of four breweries in this neck of the woods, and this one, set among the vines at Peter Drayton Wines, has ten beers and two ciders pouring on tap every day. You'll taste pale ales, lagers, stouts and wheat beers. Our pick is the Wheatermelon — an American wheat beer with fresh watermelon juice added during fermentation. And, as there's plenty of room on the London-style red bus, you can take a pack home along with your favourite wines from the day.
Planning a day trip to the Hunter Valley? Take advantage of Klook's Taste of Europe wine tour on the big red bus, or see more details about Klook's $1 Wine Tastings offer, here.