Cellar Doors Without the Driving
Weigh up your options for wine tours, then enquire – free.
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Choosing a Hunter Valley wine tour mostly comes down to two questions: will you share the vehicle with other guests, and how much say do you want over the cellar doors? Shared small-group days sell individual seats, keep numbers low and usually fold tasting fees into the fare. Private tours hand the whole vehicle to your group, so the itinerary, start time and lunch stop are yours to set.
Either way, the reason to book is the same. A guide handles the roads between Pokolbin, Lovedale and the boutique wineries around them, so everyone can taste without anyone having to stay sober for the drive home. Most operators collect from your accommodation too, so nobody is left arranging a lift after lunch.
Group size narrows the field quickly:
Once the tour is sorted, find somewhere to stay in our Hunter Valley accommodation guide, or browse other things to do in the Hunter.
A shared day suits couples and small groups happy to tour with others: HV Tours runs shared days of up to 12 with tasting fees in the price. If you want to choose the stops and the pace, a private operator such as Divine Tours, Vintage Connections, Hunter Valley Small Group Tours or Wine Country Limousines keeps the vehicle to your group.
Wine D Road Tours includes a restaurant lunch with a drink in its From $210 per person price. Lucky's Hunter Valley Tours has a twilight tour that finishes with a two-course dinner, and Divine Tours books lunch reservations for you. With other operators, ask whether lunch is included or paid on the day.
Usually. Cheers Bus picks up free around Pokolbin, Lovedale, Rothbury, Nulkaba and Cessnock, Hunter Valley Small Group Tours collects free within 10 km of the Hunter Valley Visitor Centre, and TexTours and Wine D Road Tours both collect from your accommodation. Give your address when you enquire.
HV Tours runs a wheelchair-accessible minibus with a hydraulic lift and checks the venues it visits for access. Mention any mobility needs when you enquire so the itinerary can be planned around them.
Yes. HV Tours and Divine Tours both run private tours for up to 20, and Cheers Bus has a 20-seat bus. Big Daddy Party Bus takes 15 to 45 on its packaged tasting days, and H2 Hunter Hummers fits 15 in a stretch Hummer. For 25 or more, Grace Coaches has buses and semi coaches for guided or self-planned Pokolbin wine tours, any day of the week.
With a guide at the wheel, nobody has to sit out the tastings to drive, and the cellar door bookings are handled for you. It also helps the group keep a sensible pace, with lunch and breaks built into the day rather than squeezed between stops.
