The Hunter Valley New South Wales , Australia
The scenic Hunter Valley, home to over 120 wineries, is Australia’s oldest continuously planted region. Associated with the country’s most famous varietals, it draws lovers of fine wine from across the globe. They find here some of the world’s best shiraz and some of its most acclaimed sémillon, along with awardwinning chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon. A vibrant gourmet food culture also flourishes, replete with artisanal cheeses and locally smoked meats, olives, and olive oil, plus stylish, contemporary restaurants showcasing the area’s finest talents.
Visitors may recognize such international labels as Rosemount or Lindemans, but smaller, limited production operations that do not export also enjoy respect at home. An easy 2-hour drive from Sydney, Hunter Valley can feel chockablock on weekends, but roads are quiet and dinner reservations easy to come by on weekdays. Gourmands partial to picturesque country hotels gravitate to Halls Road in Pokolbin, where two of Australia’s favorite lodges are situated. Pepper’s Convent is an impressive 17-room complex in the heart of the valley, occupying a turn-of-the-century former convent; your suite might be a former kindergarten or music room. Nearby Tower Lodge is a more intimate, 12-room Spanish Mission–style inn; its acclaimed Roberts restaurant serves leisurely meals in an 1876 settler’s cottage, accompanied by vintages from vines you can practically reach out and touch. You can also dine at the lodge’s exclusive Nine Restaurant, where you’ll savor nine-course dinners matched with wines from Tower Estate. Pokolbin is also where you’ll find the cozy Splinters Guesthouse, consisting of a few rooms and cottages with views of vines and mountains. Long a favorite of weekending Sydneysiders, it is within walking distance of boutique vineyards and small welcoming restaurants.
Where: 125 miles/200 km north of Sydney.
Pepper’s Convent: Tel 61/249-984-999;
www.peppers.com.au/convent. Cost: from $430;
9-course dinner at Nine $180 (weekends only).
Tower Lodge: Tel 61/249-987-022; www
.towerlodge.com.au. Cost: from $755; dinner at
Roberts $85.
Splinters Guesthouse: 61/265-
747-118; www.splinters.com.au. Cost: from
$190. Best times: Mar–Apr for the Harvest
Festival; Jun for Hunter Valley Food & Wine
Month; Sep–Oct for spring weather.
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