Hunter Valley Wine Tour from Sydney incl Lunch, Cheese, Chocolate and Distillery

memorable tour

Well I love the views of nature as I love most. Love wines ,chocolates. Nice and safe tour. Good caring. Enjoyed lunch too.

Fine day for wine

Pleasant weather in the Hunter.Peter,our tour guide and driver was very knowledgeable about the history of the Hunter. We had enough time for all our activities,we even had extra time to drop by the chocolate factory. Overall an enjoyable day. Learned many things about wine and wine making.

It was good but could’ve been so much better

We had a nice time at the Hunter Valley. The best part was being together but there were so many elements to the tour that could’ve been improved. The bus driver was very rude and also hard to understand. He spoke quickly with a strong accent so we found it very hard to unpick what he was saying. He also closely tailed other smaller cars on the drive. Flashing at any car in front of him to move over. The vineyards were nice. I thought we would spend time walking through a row of vines but we didn’t which was a shame. We planned the trip around the good weather, but despite being hot and sunny, everything we did was inside, what a shame. A few of the group asked if we could have our next pairing outside but this didn’t happen. One of the main reasons to visit the Hunter is for the scenery and we spent most of the day in random rooms starring at a black wall. Even when we went for lunch there were tables outside, but I get reserved for more important guests. The first vineyard was the best, Gav explained things well, although needs to speak a bit clearer, at times he mumbled. His best explanation was prompted by a customers question. The second vineyard visit was held by a young girl who was brilliant, very funny but unfortunately she had to speed her way through. She was speeling out knowledge so quickly. Someone asked a question and she said we don’t have time for questions in this tight ship. The experience was ruined by not having enough time, which she acknowledged. We had to rush through the pairings and she also said she thought the chocolate and wine pairing was silly and said wine doesn’t go well with chocolate, so we didn’t get to understand how the wine paired with the chocolate and just randomly ate the chocolate. The lunch was yummy and we had great portions. But most of the group didn’t finish their mains as we were whisked away for the next tasting. The whole day felt like a rush. The third tasting was given by a man who spoke so quietly with no passion. I had a hair in one of my cheese pots. We didn’t have any print out to identify the cheeses or wines which would have improved the experience. The last experience was at a distillery. The man presenting looked very scruffy, just wearing joggers and ungroomed. He just explained which flavors were the most popular but didn’t explain the history of the distillery or the process being gin, liquor or vodka. The organisers of the tour need to sit through this experience and realise it is lacking in so many places. Left feeling disappointed.

Great day! And thanks Ronnie!

Great day out. Ronnie is wonderul, informative, caring and gives a great banter! We really enjoyed the fun day out.

Hunter valley wines

Excellent wine tour with chocolate and cheese pairings. Would have preferred visiting another winery than the gin tasting as I think this stop was a bit odd for a wine tour.

Interesting trip!

It was a very interesting and enjoyable trip especially the wine and liquor tasting. I don't really drink much but I did appreciate the experience. Learned a lot about the different varieties of wines and their origins, the process of making such, etc. Knew few interesting ideas about liquors and spirits. Not many thoughts on chocolates and cheese. It will be nice if they added more of it. Met new people with their interesting stories to tell on the same trip.

Okay experience, slightly disappointed

Our tour guide for the day was very friendly and courteous, he deserves a 5 star rating. For the tour iself, it was advertised as a luxurious bus, but we were quite uncomfortable. We had very little leg room due to the wheel well bumps. The 5 hour round trip was not a luxurious experience. The lunch was disappointing. We enjoyed the tour of Irongate winery and found it to be very insightful.

Great fun in Hunter Valley!

Wine tasting was superb and the reception was excellent! Also great information provided on the tour bus.

Beautiful day and great tasting experience!

Beautiful scenery, everywhere along the way from Sydney to the Hunter Valley. The guide was very informative. It was particularly great to taste wine paired with chocolate and cheese - really good combinations that elevated the tasting experience. Staff was friendly and fun in every location. The only thing I would note is that the day felt a bit rushed even though we managed to visit and try a lot in one day - we were on a tight schedule and did not have much time to relax and enjoy the views and the surroundings.

Nice trip

The trip was very nice. The winery were very nice. The best on was the chocolate the wine was more for my taste. The driver was very nice and friendly and know were to go.

Great food, wine, spirits, and wild kangaroos.

À great experience in the Hunter Valley Wine Tour. Our guide, Mark, was informative and entertaining. The wine, food, and visit were delicious and beautiful. We had an extra bonus of seeing lots of kangaroos. There was a kangaroo with a Joey in her pouch at the first vineyard eating among the grape vines. A tour that will be remembered for a long time.

Loved the tour!

Had a wonderful time! I loved the tour, all the stops were great. The wine and cheese pairing was absolutely amazing. It was a beautiful drive.

Hunter valley

Great trip would recommend . Lovely day so well organised . Our driver Chris was excellent he provided us with some Australian history on the journey up and let us know when certain landmarks were up ahead . Great day lots of good wine , food , and vodka tasting .

Great day out

Amazing day fantastic hosts and delecious wines and tasting pairings. Fully recomend going from Sydney

A taste of Hunter Valley

Jam packed day trip, tasted some great wines, pairings, and spirits. Wonderful lunch. Chris is the best.

Repeatable maybe

Really enjoyed the trip for the most part, but they need to look up the definition of luxurious. The driver was very good.

Enjoyed this day!

This was a great day! The Irongate winery was the highlight of the day. Gavin did a great job explaining the workings of a winery and was very knowledgeable and helpful during the tasting. Katelyn at Tempus Two was great although the winery was disappointing. It is located in a shopping mall-like area and seemed so much more commercialized. We did enjoy the chocolate pairings, though! The third winery was where we ate. The food was ready for us when we got there and the tasting was nice with a cheese pairing. The facility was extremely loud so it was hard to hear. And the distillery at the end was an interesting twist. Our driver, Mark, was very good. He kept things moving along and made a long day very easy. We would suggest that the stops be reversed because the first stop was the best. We would have purchased more wine at Irongate but waited, thinking we would fine something better. We did not.

Best tour ever!

This was the best tour we have ever taken. We were picked up right on time by Mark, our driver/tour guide, and he did everything possible all day to accommodate us. He was friendly, professional, and very informative. At the first winery, Jade, the wine maker, taught us more about wine than in all the years we've been doing wine tasting --- with passion, enthusiasm, and humor. The other wineries were also good. The gentleman at Four Barrels winery was very interesting too, and the wine was good. The distillery was interesting, and a fund stop to finish off the day. Great day overall!

Just great

Everything was so good. The driver Chris was Great. We where very pleased with Everything. Catrin and Oksana from Sweden

Happiness is Hunter Valley wine tasting!

Our Serbian guide / driver was brilliant! He kept us on time, was a wonderful host and took time and trouble to make our trip special. The fact that it's a small group also made the trip much more enjoyable. The different vineyards and wine selections at each, gave us a really good understanding of the huge variety of wines available from the Hunter Valley. My only quibble was the wine and cheese pairings straight after a huge lunch. That aspect could have been managed better, maybe with a lighter lunch and the wine and cheese tasting as part of the meal, not separate. However, overall it was a great trip.

Great Tour, Well Worth Taking!

Great tour, worth every penny! Tour bus comfortable for a longish drive. Iron Gate Winery was an amazing experience. The host was extremely knowledgeable, and shared this about all aspects of the vineyard and winemaking process. Tasting was superb, good explanations and descriptions about each wine. Lunch was plentiful and tasty; great choices. Wine and cheese pairings and Gin Distillery experience both very good. Chocolate and wine pairing least attention given, and so not as positive.

Our driver Tom and tour...

Our driver Tom and tour guide was excellent. Made the trip a blast. He went out of his way to ensure everyone had a good time

Good day out of the city

Very enjoyable day in Hunter Valley. Good Lunch. 3 3ine tastings and one distillery.i would recommend.

Long Drive

Everything was great but for the body more than size 9 the seats are quite small and the seat belt digs in to you on the aisle. Hence the 3 stars Tour guide was quite jovial Drive was long …..w the seatbelt Our first stop was a winery tour and tasting , then we were rushed out of the store to keep on schedule Would have liked to have spent more time here after, especially as she spent time w the tour and tasting. 🤷‍♀️

Awesome wine tastings

It was a lovely tour and we tasted wine that was so good - I actually can’t decide, wich tasting was the best. Also big shoutout to our driver, he explained some of the history of the territory and was very nice.

Great wine day!

Fabulous all day wine excursion! Was a great way to visit Hunter Valley in a day. The wineries we visited were nice and lunch was good too.

If you like wine…and kangaroos…

Great tour of Hunter Valley! The winery visits were very nice, especially Iron Gates. Good wines and good pairings. Definitely recommend for anyone who likes wine and wants to see the countryside! Awesome that the driver (Tom) knew where to see kangaroos too!!

Hunter Valley February 2024

We really enjoyed our tour. Lunch was surprisingly good and the wine choices were excellent. The distillery stop was a great fun. All of the people along the way were very approachable and knowledgable. Sobels was my favorite stop!

A fun day out from Sydney!

We loved our Hunter Valley Wine Tour! Lots of fun and we were impressed with how much wine tastings we were given. Everything was well organised and we enjoyed the lunch too. Our only very tiny negative was that the drop off back in Sydney got quite confusing. We presumed we’d just be dropped back where we’d be picked up but it seemed to keep changing and we were eventually dropped off somewhere else (which was not any of the pick up points?)

Lots of variety!

This trip had lots of variety which was great. Our host Tom was super fun which made the travel time enjoyable. Lots of food and drinks, we went home very satisfied.

Awesome guide!

Lunch was great. Kris was an awesome, friendly and helpful guide. The small group made the tour a conducive wine.

Beautiful trip

Our travel tour guide Mark was very descriptive in detailing on the places around. Met some nice beautiful people. It was overall a great winery trip. Thanks.

Lovely day in Hunter Valley

With Mark as our driver and guide we had a terrific day. His narration and helpfulness was so appreciated. Wish we could have another tour with him.

A wonderful wine tasting experience.

This was an excellent tour and well worth the price. The variety of wines, spirits, and food pairings was very thoughtfully assembled. Everyone on the tour loved it. The only downside is that Hunter Valley is a 2+ hour drive (so 5ish round trip), but there are comfort stops. I highly recommend bringing a book. Also, know that virtually no wine is exported from Hunter Valley, so any you really love must be bought there.

Perfect wine tasting excursion

Very nice full day in the countryside. Our driver was great. Didn’t do a lot of commentary since the PA system was out. Excellent choice of tasting venues.

Good time was had by all

Beautiful wineries with attentive hosts. Really got a good idea of how the wine is made. Also met another traveler from my hometown in the US!

A day at hunter valley

Wine production tour and the group(mostly strangers) that we have traveled with, a bunch of lovely and friendly folks, lotsa jokes and laughter throughout the trip.

Needs improvement

The experience was quite average. The first winery was brilliant with a very interesting tour, the chocolate experience was very average with incredibly poor quality chocolate. Lunch was pretty poor, the menu was basic and the food was edible but unexciting. The cheese tour was very good, as was the spirit experience. The winery listed that the tasting experiences were only $5-$10 each, so the payment is essentially for the transport.

I was able to taste wines...

I was able to taste wines that I’ve never tried before. The distillery was interesting. I’m not into hard liquor but some of the flavors were fun. The best part was seeing the expression on some of the other guests faces. I’m sure I gave them a laugh too. The chocolate and cheese tasting was excellent. Overall a great day. Plus the country side was beautiful.

Fantastic

We went to three different wineries where we taste a different types of Wines one of the wineries paired it with chocolate one of the wineries paired it with Jesus and the other one show us the operations took us down to the Vines explain the grapes and we have a tasting period the fourth stop was a distillery where they gave us different flavored vodkas or liqueurs to taste which was very very good I highly recommend the lychee liqueur period our driver whose name unfortunately we couldn't remember was excellent period I would highly recommend this all day tour

We had an amazing time...

We had an amazing time visiting from the US. Peter was a great guide and the places we were taken to were great. Definitely recommend!

Excellent

A great mix of informative wine tour and tasting wines, beer and spirits. Good lunch included. Driver helpful and friendly. We found the first winery assistant winemaker, Jade, scary but in the end we all loved her for her passion for wine! Highly recommend the trip.

Great experiences for us all! 🥰⭐️

It was a special treat for my parents and myself as they are visiting from overseas. They were enjoying the experiences. We really appreciate the great hospitality of the staff at the wineries and our guide/driver Kris most of all!

Good but not great

Engaging hosts at the different wineries. Enjoyed the cheese pairing. Met some fun fellow travelers.

Mixed bag...tastings were great

The bumpy ride. The transport was not lux and comfy as promised. This materially detracted from what would have otherwise have been a pleasant day.

Iron Gate Vineyard is a must. The rest, not so much.

The Iron Gate Vineyard was superb! That part of the tour was a 5 star experience made by our vintner, Jade. She was knowledgeable, patient, fun, and engaging. We learned a tremendous amount and truly enjoyed the experience. Lunch was excellent as well. The other two wineries with cheese and chocolate pairings, and the distillery, were disappointing because we had no guidance. Someone poured for us and everything was tasty, but there was no education about what we were tasting or how the pairings worked. At the distillery, we tasted vodka and liqueurs, but received no explanation or information about their production. Our tour guide, Mark, was wonderful!

Great day

The wine tasting we great. The winery employees all did a great job. It was also a great experience to meet and learn about people from other countries.

Great day out

Good value and variation, long day but worth it … tour guide was very informative and we had loads of time at each stop

Awesome

Amazing tour and beautiful wineries we had a great time. The food was great they let us pick off a menu

Great day

Mark was a great tour guide, gave us history of Hunter Valley and was very accommodating with our needs Highly recommend this tour