Revel in cosy fireside comfort this winter in the Hunter Valley.

There's no better way to embrace the season than by cosying up next to a crackling fire with a glass of Hunter Valley red wine. This winter, spend your days visiting cosy fireside eateries tucked away across the Hunter Valley and indulge in a line up of fun, quirky and delicious food and wine pairings.

Known for producing some of Australia's finest Shiraz, the Hunter Valley offers everything you need for the ultimate winter getaway. Plus, with so many events taking place in the region over the next few weeks including Snow Time in the Gardens, the Hunter Valley Wine and Beer Festival and Cessnock Stomp Festival there has never been a better time to visit. When booking your accommodation, be sure to check out this collection of fireside stays.

And parents, make sure to check out our family winter school holiday guide packed with fun ideas including toboggan rides and snowman building, horse rides, animal encounters and family friendly wineries.

 After 20 years of working at Tyrrell's, Andrew Margan, in 1996 started Margan Wines with wife, Lisa Margan. They had planted 5 acres of their own vines on their Ceres Hill property in Broke Fordwich in 1989 and in 1997 they built their winery on their property and Andrew started making wine for his own label. Nearly 30 years later they have built their vineyards up to include over 90 hectares of a mixture of 50 year old traditional varieties and pioneering varieties that they have planted themselves over the years. 

The Margan vineyards are all located in the Broke Fordwich sub region, of which all Margan wines are made from. Andrew says, the special volcanic soil of the Fordwich Sill is one of the most important parts of influencing the wines he makes.
Across 100 hectares of distinguished vineyards they have the traditional Hunter iconic varieties of Semillon, Shiraz & Chardonnay as well as some alternative varieties that they have introduced to the region including Barbera & Albarino. Additionally, Andrew also has pioneered ‘Field Blend’ styles including our Shiraz Mourvedre & Tempranillo Graciano Shiraz.

From the start, Andrew and Lisa have always believed that as farmers & current custodians of this land we have a responsibility to look after it so that future generations will also be able to also enjoy it. In 2019 Margan became accredited with Sustainable Winegrowing Australia, covering all business operations. They take a regenerative agriculture approach to all viticultural practices using a combination of biodiversity, minimum tillage & carbon sequestration to ensure a healthy & sustainable environment for our grapevines to grow in.

Protecting the heritage vineyards here in the Hunter is another project Andrew is passionate about. As Andrew says, 'The Hunter Valley is after all, the birthplace of the Australian wine industry & I am lucky to call it home.'

Andrew Margan was inducted as a Wine Living Legend in 2025

Lisa Margan has lived and worked in the Hunter Valley since she married, Winemaker Andrew Margan, in the late 1980's. Having always wanting to be a chef, Lisa re-trained with respected Hunter Chef Robert Molines. Then after a few years, herself and Andrew set up home in Bordeaux, France where Andrew made wine and Lisa worked as a chef.

It was here that Lisa developed an appreciation for quality produce, technique and the unique appeal of food and wine in the context of a premium wine region.

After the France stint she went back to Uni and completed a master’s degree in science and nutrition, with a thesis on organic food production. Then in 1966 Lisa and Andrew launched their small wine brand, Margan.

Lisa's dream was to create a cellar door and restaurant with an agri-dining focus so that guests could better connect with the provenance of their wine and food. We built and opened our first Margan Cellar Door and Café Beltree on Hermitage Rd, Pokolbin in 2002 on a small old-vine semillon vineyard we purchased. A couple of years later we backed our belief in the emerging wine sub region of Broke Fordwich and built a striking rammed earth cellar door and restaurant at our Ceres Hill Vineyard which we opened in 2007.

Lisa's background in organic food production inspired her to lead the business down a Sustainably Farmed pathway and introduce an Environmental Management Plan (EMP) for the business. Margan is proud to be considered a regional leader in Environmental Stewardship. We are fully accredited members of Sustainable Winegrowers Australia, the first in the Hunter to do so and our certification is benchmarked to International Standards ISO 14001 for best practice.

Lisa is a strong advocate of the promotion of wine, food and the hospitality industry.

Lisa Margan was inducted as a Tourism Living Legend in 2025