Around Hermitage Pokolbin

A particularly scenic province, fully appreciated when meandering our winding cycleway from one tasting room to the next. The trail for iconic Hunter Shiraz and Semillon, as well as new and exciting varieties. Where the stand-out wines, spirits and craft beers you can’t leave without, are conveniently delivered to your retreat. Picnic in vineyard landscapes stretching far into the foothills of the Brokenback Ranges. Explore antiques or enjoy lawn games whilst wine tasting. Chase down small farm cheese or try your hand at making some. Let off steam in a smash room or luxury spa. All the while working up an appetite for our local food artistry, long table lunching, and views from every table.

Here's how

From Sydney, take the M15 expressway to arrive at the Around Hermitage experience in just two hours.

Once you’re in Wine Country, follow the RED trail in the North Western side of Pokolbin to find yourself surrounded by some of the most spectacular landscapes in the valley. 

Once around the block

Highly prized vineyard blocks yielding small quantities of seriously good reds will have you hungry for more of the Around Hermitage Wine and Food Trail. Really connect with our scenic rural landscapes, exploring 35km of cycleway connecting family-run cellar doors and signature wineries. With rolling green hills in all directions, you’ll find the food Around Hermitage hinges on seasonality. Our award-winning chefs will treat you to an authentic taste of the local terroir, with free range and fresh-picked produce sourced from surrounding small farms. Be tantalised by tapas to share, dynamic cooking with fire, heirloom recipes enjoyed at an Italian family table, decadent grazing hampers for picnics in the vines, and chic European bistro-style dining. Enjoy the unexpected, like a peek behind the scenes at a craft brewery, a bounty of small batch wines assembled for tasting under one roof, delving into the secrets of a distiller, finding your pet is welcomed at some very swanky stays, or that solving your way out of an escape room with a close-knit group of mates can be every bit as invigorating as that spa-time solitude you’ll treat yourself to back at the resort.

With so much to fill your days here, you’ll want to stay Around Hermitage, in a hidden-away cottage shared only with wild kangaroos, a grand old homestead with crackling fire, sheer luxury in a five star retreat, an intimate guesthouse, or wake on a working farm in self-contained family comfort.

LOVEDALE

Been to our Long Lunch and think you’ve done Lovedale? Think again! Take time together to really sink your teeth into the romance of this pretty corner of the valley and its intimate cellar doors. Where small batch wines are big on character and hitting it off with our warm and friendly winemakers brings a deep appreciation of what’s to love about the drop we share. A picture-perfect set-off point for hot-air ballooning or a heart-pumping horseback ride. Tee-off for quality time together, meet-up for a cheeky lunch and rock up to locals night. Swept up in the moment? We have a white-washed chapel too!

Make your way

Follow the signs to Lovedale via the Hunter Expressway, just 2 hours from Sydney and under an hour from Newcastle Airport. Lovedale Road exit will take you straight into the heart of where you want to be and we can’t wait to welcome you! You can explore the region via a self drive, booking a tour, or booking a spot on the new Molly Morgan Wheels a hop-on hop-off wine shuttle service specifically for Lovedale. 

So much to love

Coax yourself out from under that doona! It’s well worth beating the dawn to drift into sunrise over Lovedale, in a hot-air balloon for two. Or up to 15 friends if you want to really share the love! Alight for champagne breaky at a luxury resort, and your aviators may inspire you to carry on your love affair with Lovedale, with mates rates at local cellar doors.

Lovedale Long Lunch is just a tease. Broadening your wine repertoire with vibrant, small batch wines is what we do best, one-on-one with the winemaker at your tasting bench for a personal touch.

Leave the car keys and let a local tour lead you to relax and explore more of our many different wine styles and varietals. Pre-order grazing-to-go for just such adventures, and souvenir premium oils from olive groves along the way, Our signature take on seriously good food is the last-minute lunch. Wonderfully unexpected and thoroughly enjoyable, in natural surrounds as nourishing for the soul as the locally-grown goodness on our menus.

Find your oasis at a day spa beneath Brokenback Ridge. Be moved by decadent chocolate and wine pairings. Hit the smokehouse and farm gates for charcuterie and small farm milk cheeses, so good and so hard to come by anywhere else. Admire local art or try your hand at creativity on a wilderness art retreat.

At the end of your Lovedale day, counting stars in clear night skies at your country estate, or curling up by the fire at your cosy b&b, may seem every bit as rewarding as rubbing shoulders with growers at local’s night down the road.

You’ll love every minute!

POKOLBIN

Roots run deep here for many of Australia’s first families of wine, who claimed Pokolbin as the best place in the valley for viticulture back in the 1800’s. The vast array of trophy-winning winemakers who’ve followed are inclined to agree. Equally impressive eateries are the heart and soul of beautifully curated experiences of the fruits of Pokolbin’s distinctive climate, rich soils and sustainable farming. A parish for heritage convent stays and wedding chapels where estate-made sparkling flows. See your rock idol live in Australia’s biggest winery concert ampitheatre, just once, and you’ll know the appeal of this Wine Country hub.

Where do I sign?

Head for the Hunter Valley Visitor Information Centre on Wine Country Drive, and you’ll have arrived in Pokolbin. A two hour drive from Sydney and 50 minutes West of Newcastle Airport if you fancy a flying visit.

A ministry of fine wine tourism

Home to the early pioneers of Hunter winemaking heritage, Pokolbin is likely to be the first place you think of when you hear ‘Hunter Valley’. Generation after generation, have passed down a passion and the knowledge to perfect our craft, and your visitor experience along with it.

Been resting your laurels with average wines? Be awed by the cellar doors of true champions of wine, in every respect. Our winemakers have made a name by consistently bringing wines of an extremely high standard to the world the world, without power until 1955, and in the face of reliably unreliable conditions, bang on vintage!

We’ll excite you with a wide choice. Old vine Shiraz, Chardonnay, world class Hunter Semillon and crisp Verdelho. Lovely bubbly and intriguing drops, like Tempranillo, Grenache, Vermentino and Nebbiolo. Each extraordinary and paired perfectly on the menus of our hatted restaurants, elegant eateries, and relaxed cafes, by chefs with an intimate knowledge of enjoyment of the local best. To finish, delectably smelly cheeses and exquisitely crafted sweets, almost too good to eat – almost!

Concert season is the icing on the parish cake!  End to end music festivals, starlit symphonies, and headline international acts as you’ve never before experienced, from a 20,000 seat amphitheatre nestled in the vineyards.

Retire to your own private homestead, elegant country lodge, or farm stay with bushland tranquility, to sit with the sure satisfaction of your soon-to-be-well-stocked home cellar and pantry.

HERE'S TO MORE THAN A WEEKEND

Feel a long, long way away. Whether you’re visiting for work, pleasure, or hoping to strike an ideal balance between the two, you can afford to be selective about what you want to experience, with so many wonderful accommodation options to choose from.

Nothing beats the warm comforts of a country stay and the Hunter Valley is lucky enough to have its fair share of resorts and hotels as well as small, boutique B&Bs where the welcome mat is always out. Balmy afternoon breezes in summer overlooking vineyards or a cosy fire in winter, whenever you decide to visit we have you covered.  Even a short stay will quickly have you feeling revitalised and right at home in the vineyard landscape.