Wine tourism is the Hunter Valley’s mainstay and this brings numbers of people the area. Based here are the large multinational wine companies, small home vintners and everything in between. The countryside is primarily used for the growing of grapevines. Shiraz and Semillion predominate but one will also find Chardonay, Cabernet, Sauvignon and even a little Pinot Noir.

Vintage Hunter Wine and Visitor Centre is the nerve centre of the area’s wine tourism. It can be found at 455 Wine Country drive and one finds directions here to restaurants, Pokolbin hotels, resorts and public events. Of course, one can also find a directory and maps to the wineries and cellars. Some of those located in the Valley are Vinden Estate Wines, Thalgora Estate, Blueberry Hill Vineyard, Tyrrell’s Wines and Morgan Family Wine Growers.

Pokolbin Village is the heart of the Valley and serves as a starting point from which to explore the wine country. It is at the centre of Pokolbin and is located so that the area wineries can be reached by foot. Pokolbin Village is a resort designed like a rustic town, and has spacious grounds amidst which suites, villas and even a homestead provide lodging for extended stays. The staff will aid visitors in the arrangement of winery visits and can inform them of area events and festivals.

One may also visit or stay at the Hunter Valley Gardens. This is the creation of award-winning landscapers Bill and Imelda Roche. Twelve themed gardens lie upon over 25 hectares of land. Vacationers may stay at the Mercure Resort and participate in the varied events that are offered besides the daily garden tours.

Here can be visited the Rose Garden, a corkscrew patterned garden of over 8,000 roses of more than 150 kinds. Also the Sunken Garden, made to appear like a sunken grotto beneath a large waterfall and shaped around a pond the size of five Olympic swimming pools and planted with a variety of evergreen and deciduous trees. The Chinese Garden and the Oriental Garden feature Chinese, Korean and Japanese motifs such as moss covered rocks, bamboo stands, gardens of raked gravel, pagodas amidst gingko trees and lily covered lakes stocked with Asian fish.

Both a State Forest and a National Park, Barrington Tops allows visitors to partake of nature pursuits. Huge cliffs, rain forest and fishing streams proliferate. This World Heritage site rests atop a twenty-five kilometre plateau and is home to a great variety of flora and fauna, some of it very rare. Here one can engage in canoeing, kayaking, cycling and hiking on trails and mountains, bushwalking and camping.

Fine dining is one of the defining features of the valley, strongly focusing on local products. With cattle raisers throughout the valley that supply many areas of the country, a good steak is always going to appear on the table of one of the outstanding restaurants visitors will likely get to know. Among such establishments are the Pokolbin area’s Casuarina and San Marino restaurants; the Lovedale area’s Mojo’s on Wilderness and Lynkeys of Lovedale restaurants; and the Mount Broke Wines’ Cow Cafe.

Following the gastronomical theme further, the valley’s many cheese farms are well worth a stop and will receive visitors warmly, offering up what all wine lovers know to be the best accompaniment possible to a tasty cup. Give your taste buds a real treat and liven up your day of touring by checking out places like the Smelly Cheese Shop, the Hunter Valley Cheese Company or Binnorie Dairy.

There are many world-class wineries waiting to receive visitors and indulge what is surely their top priority while exploring the Hunter Valley. Having been turned into the outstanding wine country which it is known as today by the Hunter River and its tributaries (constituting one of the nation’s principal river networks), the valley is particularly clogged with vineyards in the areas of Pokolbin, Wollombi Valley as well as Broke Fordwich. As you tour through the region, you’ll probably enjoy the exceptional flavors bottled by Tintilla Estate, the Adina Vineyard and the Private Moorebank Vineyard, among many more.

Your trip through the Hunter Valley could be that much more unique by opting to get around via less usual means, such as a hot air balloon ride, horse and carriage, in a luxury limo or even just on bike. Then, to end each day in the right way there are many exceptional Hunter Valley accommodation choices, from the Belford Cabins to the Capers Guesthouse and Cottage to much more.

Hunter Valley Accommodation is easy to find throughout the entire region, no matter your budget or the type of occasion. But the three most popular places to stay are Pokolbin, Cessnock, and Lovedale.

Pokolbin
Pokolbin can be found at the heart of the Lower Hunter Valley wine region. This area is not only the oldest wine region in Australia, but it’s also one of the country’s most famous. It has over 120 wineries, the oldest of which are nearly 200 years old. Take a tour and try the acclaimed Hunter Valley Semillon or the popular Australian Shiraz that are made here.

In addition to wineries galore, you will also enjoy Pokolbin’s selection of more than 60 restaurants and have your choice of over 160 places to stay. Golfers can get a bit of exercise at one of the region’s world-class golf courses. Visitors to this area can also take a stroll through the southern hemisphere’s largest rose garden, which is found in the 60-acre Hunter Valley Gardens, along with shops, restaurants, a chapel, and other attractions.

Cessnock
The picturesque Cessnock area is Pokolbin’s neighbor. A group of the small towns Paxton, Millfield, and Bellbird make up this area, which was named after Scotland’s Cessnock Castle as a tribute to the area’s early Scottish settlers. Cessnock marks where the Hunter Valley wine region starts and is also visited for is collection of antique shops, craft shops, and art galleries.

Lovedale
Finally, you have Lovedale, which much like Pokolbin and Cessnock, is a great place for wine tours. But along with its many wineries, Lovedale also has exciting activities to offer, like hot air balloon and horseback rides, which are great for visitors looking to quench their thirst for adventure while taking in the breathtaking landscape.