Black walls, hard steel, crystals, candles and real wrought chainmail curtains, Vamp by Lisa McGuigan is all about the detail, all about the experience and, of course, all about great wine. What do you usually expect when you go to a winery cellar door? Light timber? White walls? A few wine barrels dotted about and … Read more
From picking to stomping to eating and drinking, Picking Day at Glandore Estate in the Hunter Valley gives you a fascinating insight into what it’s like to work a vintage at a winery. Here’s what happens in the vines. Have you ever wondered what it’s like to jump in a barrel of wine grapes and … Read more
There’s no doubt that these past two years have been a slog. But with Australia set to fully open borders again in a week’s time, let’s hope things are on the path back to normality. For us, the barometer of ‘normal’ has always been based on travel. Disasters like 9/11, global financial crises, planes disappearing … Read more
With so much to see, do, eat and drink in Australia’s oldest wine region, it’s hard to know where to begin. So here are 10 of our favourites you should definitely keep in mind when you’re visiting the Hunter Valley. It’s not often you have a place to visit that’s great all year round. But … Read more
Chardonnay has seen quite a few twists and turns in its popularity over the last few decades, but at last it’s coming into its own. Here are 5 Chardonnays from the Hunter Valley, NSW that embody this magnificent varietal and show its sceptics exactly what they’ve all been missing. Australia’s oldest wine region and only … Read more
Recipient of the Hunter Valley Rising Star and Young Gun of Wine awards, and with names on his CV like Scarborough Wines, Thomas Wines, Hunter’s Dream Estate and currently Bimbadgen, it was only a matter of time before Richard Done started his own label. The Hunter Valley is Australia’s oldest wine region, where grapes grow … Read more
From farm to table in under 100 metres. That’s how Margan Wines runs their hatted restaurant. Here’s more about this beautiful Hunter Valley winery – its wines, its chefs, its food and its philosophy. I wonder which came first. Have Australia’s wine regions always been beautiful or do the vineyards create their own beauty? Perhaps … Read more
Food, wine, music and olive groves all set to a banquet table between the trees. It’s as European as fast driving and slow soccer, but with the finesse of a top Hunter Valley winery and the spirit of a festival. This is the Continent on our shores. Whispering Brook – the sobriquet of the quiet … Read more
What happens when you put arguably the most famous Australian wine in the ring with the best Shiraz Australia’s oldest wine region has to offer? It’s Penfolds Grange vs The Hunter Valley, and the gloves are off! When it comes to Australian reds, the first wine we think of is Shiraz. It’s a varietal that’s … Read more
Winding round a foothill of the iconic Broken Back Range, surrounded by some of Australia’s best wineries and home to its own championship golf course, Oaks Cypress Lakes Resort has so much to offer the Hunter Valley visitor that wants it all. To resort or not to resort – that’s often the question travellers face … Read more