A Complete Guide to Book a Hunter Valley Wine Tour

Hunter Valley has always been among the most popular destinations to visit in Australia. The craze of visiting this valley is ever-lasting. That being said, when you are here, you should not drop the chance to savour award-winning wines. Hence, we have brought a detailed guide on how you can book your wine tasting slot in Hunter Valley. In addition, you will also learn about the approximate cost of wine tasting, how to get around the valley, and other associated information. Therefore, read till the end if you plan to visit this paradise of wines.

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Is wine tasting free in Hunter Valley?

When it is wine tasting in Hunter Valley, it will be charged.

We say so because most wineries do not offer free wine to visitors. Furthermore, only one of a handful of wineries offers free wine tasting. Hence, you can expect prices to vary with different brands of wine. However, it usually starts from $5 and goes up to $25.

With that said, one of the wineries where you can enjoy some of the best wine specimens free of cost is Sobels Wines. This place has a collection of tastes from crisp, dry whites, and fruitier styles to smooth fortified. So, you’ll undoubtedly find your favourites among them. The duration for tasting wine is around 60 minutes.

Below are some of the best Hunter Valley wineries where you can pre-book your cellar doors to enjoy a relaxing wine tasting session. But remember, these cellar doors do not offer free wine tasting.

Tyrells

An old cellar door with a rustic charm, Tyrells offer some of the best wines in Hunter Valley. This family-run winery is a must-visit if you are in the valley. Tasting of wines is conducted at 5 set times throughout the day- 10:00 am, 11:15 am, 12:30 am, 1:45 pm, and 3:00 pm. The tasting costs $15pp per person, and the time limit is 45 minutes. The collection of tastes in Tyrells includes winemakers’ selection and single-vineyard wines.

Brokenwood

Brokenwood offers premium wine-tasting sessions to wine lovers with a stellar reputation in Australia. Here, you will get to taste 7 Brokenwood varietal and single-vineyard wines. Charges for wine tasting are $25 per person, and it is 45 minutes per tasting session. The tasting opens up at 10 am on Saturday and Sunday and 11 pm on weekdays and lasts till 4 pm. Tasting is allowed after every half an hour.

Best Hunter Valley wineries — Image courtesy of Brokenwood Estate

Gundog

A five-star rated boutique wine producer; Gundog offers Riesling, Semillon, and Shiraz. So, if you plan to book your wine-tasting plot, the following could be of help.

The winery has two kinds of reservations to offer.

Regional discovery– Get the tasting of 8 wines from Gundog estate at $10 per person. Please be aware that it is a staff-led wine-tasting session.
Vintage of century experience– Enjoy the tasting of extraordinary wines at $25 per person. A group of 8 people or more can participate in this wine session at a time.

Tintilla

Tintilla Estate is a family-run winery where you can taste award-winning wines and olive products. This cellar door offers around 1 hour of tasting experience for visitors. The timings for tasting are from 10:30 am to 4:30 pm. Here, you can get two kinds of testing services-

Deluxe wine tasting– It allows tasting from a boutique single vineyard range at $10 per person.
VIP wine tasting– Get wines from the Boutique Single Vineyard range with a selection of local & Estate made Cheese & Olive tastings. The price is $15 per person.

Peppertree

The Pepper Tree Wines is a quintessential Hunter Valley cellar door situated in a picturesque location. This award-winning winery offers a one-of-a-kind wine-tasting experience.

This winery has three kinds of tasting services for you.

Cellar door bar tasting– Enjoy the tasting at $10 limited to 45 minutes.
Pepper tree experience– Enjoy the tasting of premium wines at $20, limited to a duration of 45 minutes.
The best of four worlds– Get the best wine tasting at $40, limited to a duration of 45 minutes.

How do you get around Hunter Valley?

Travel by your car

Having your car is the most flexible and convenient way to roam around the Hunter Valley. But you should drive at your own risk because you will need to pay a fine if you get caught drunk. Therefore, this method is only safe if you are not drinking and driving. So, be cautious!

Book a shuttle bus

Another feasible way to travel around the valley is hiring a shuttle bus, especially if you plan to drink. Also, if you are not fond of driving, it is probably the best idea to go with. You would easily find shuttles to take you from vineyard to vineyard. Some of the popular options you can think of are Vineyard Shuttle Service and iHOP Hunter Valley.

Book a wine tour

If you want a guided and small group wine-tasting session, booking a wine tour would be the best option. Hunter Valley tours offer a variety of day tours that suit your needs including Hunter Valley private wine tours.

How much are wine tours in Hunter Valley?

Depending on your preference, you can choose your way to experience wine tours in Hunter Valley. So, to get an idea, you can choose from the below options. These are some of the operators and prices.

Small bus group tours

Price – The price per person may start somewhere around $100. The charges depend on the type of services you choose. You can know about the services and what it has to offer from the official websites of the tour organisers.
Inclusion – Lunch and tasting fees are normally included with the ride; but can change on the tours on offer and price per person as well. Most of the winery tours include local pick-ups and drops. You will get cold water and a room to store items like chocolate and cheese.
Exclusion– Picking up and dropping off non-local people is not included with the rides.
Other important points- Enjoy some music and dance on the bus while travelling. Small groups in the bus make it even more fun to travel.

Half-day tours

Price– The charges for half-day tours are $80 in the morning and $85 in the afternoon.
Inclusion– The best part of half-day tours is that all the wine tasting is included in the cost.
Exclusion– Half-day tours don’t include lunch.
Other important points- Visit a great and best selection of wineries at your time preference. Usually, the tours are around 3.5 hours per person.

Full-day Private tours

Price– The full-day private tour covers all the wineries within 7 hours and costs approx. $110 per person.
Inclusion- You will get a wine tasting with the ride. Also, you will get a local tour guide, who will take you through the vineyards and stories related to them.
Exclusion- Non-local pick-up and drop are not included. Also, these trips do not include lunch. However, you can check with the operator to know more.
Other important points– You will get to explore the whole hunter valley with many winemakers and different winemaking styles.

Hunter Valley Private Wine Tours

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A Complete Guide to Book a Hunter Valley Wine Tour