Wine Along 4 Day

Travellers without their own car are picked up in the city by our lead vehicle at 7.30am, before we then meet our self-drive travellers at Wahroonga Train Station on the upper North Shore at 8.00am. With watches set, road names/handles assigned, and destination rendezvous agreed, we drive north on the M1 for an easy and picturesque drive north. Over the Hawkesbury River, through national parks and dramatic sandstone cuttings, then veering north west at Freemans Waterhole to Cessnock and Pokolbin. We arrive at our 4-star accommodation mid-morning, leave our cars, with everyone jumping onboard our lead vehicle for a day in the Hunter Valley.

A la carte breakfast is included before our convoy begins the drive from Pokolbin to Mudgee. This is a beautiful journey along quiet back country roads passing picturesque farms, traversing low mountain ranges, native forests and national parks. A brief refreshment stop at a quiet village general store before arriving at our 4-star Mudgee accommodation at midday. Cars parked, it’s all aboard the lead vehicle for an afternoon visiting three leading wineries that showcase the very best of Mudgee’s increasingly popular cellar door scene.

Mudgee

Mudgee is one of Country NSW’s great wine towns, where wineries set on rolling hills serve award-winning drops and epicurean fare. Set on the banks of the pretty Cudgegong River, the town still possesses all the character of its 19th century past. The Mudgee region has a continental climate with warm days and cool nights, combined with excellent soil profiles, are some of the attributes that help Mudgee produce great wines with a distinct regional character.

Travellers joining us in Mudgee need to arrive by 11.45am to meet the group arriving from the Hunter Valley

Lowe Wines

On a gentle hill with beautiful views looking north east over the Mudgee Valley, you’ll find Lowe Wines, a certified organic vineyard and winery that specialises in small batch winemaking using innovative techniques. Their Mudgee vineyards are untrellised, unirrigated and certified organic. They produce lower yields of distinctively individual grapes; one of four flag ship varieties being Zinfandel. They lead the field with practical sustainable management in both their vineyards and farm, which you’ll learn as you are led through wine tasting while enjoying a delightful Charcuterie Board lunch in the peaceful surrounds.

Experience: Organic wine tasting accompanied by lunch boards of fresh local produce

Huntington Estate

In 1969 Bob Roberts shoved a few thousand sticks in the ground and hoped they would grow.  Choosing Mudgee, as it has a cool, dry climate, eminently suited to Cabernet Sauvignon, he firmly believed that wines should be affordable and above all, age well.

While the market often looks for young, fresh wines, Huntington believe that there are still more than a few people who love the more crafted, Estate grown, made and bottled styles of wine that stand the test of time. For them, it’s all about what’s inside the bottle that matters, substance over style.

Experience: Selected wine tasting focusing on red varietals

Robert Stein

Jacob Stein, a third-generation Mudgee winemaker, continues the family tradition of making wines started by his family in the 1800s. Jacob’s family vineyard makes a variety of fantastic wines with their Rieslings in particular being well decorated and fast becoming known as one of NSW’s best examples of this varietal. You’ll be taken through a choice of wines to taste, many of which are award winning and/or highly rated by wine industry professionals and has resulted in being rated Red 5 Stars by James Halliday.

You’ll have free time to visit the onsite Vintage Motorbike Museum as well as sitting on the dam bank with a glass of wine looking over the vines.

Experience: Selected wine tastings with a focus on white varietals including their outstanding Riesling, entry to Motorbike Museum

Evening

Late afternoon we check into our accommodation and again, our travellers are free to determine how best to pass the evening. We’ll book a table at The Ori Kitchen, at The Oriental, one of Mudgee’s most iconic pubs, for those who’d like to eat and drink as a group. However, there is a restaurant in house at our accommodation if you’d like to stay closer to home.

A la carte breakfast is included before our convoy of explorers then head north to Gulgong, a 19^th-century gold rush town, now famous for its craftspeople and preserved heritage. A brief stop for coffee, then west through more open farming countryside to Wellington and onto Orange. Once again we park up our vehicles to board the lead vehicle for an exceptional afternoon of premium wine, food and beer.

A sleep in is merited, allowing our travellers time also to check out one of Orange’s many great cafes for breakfast. For those travellers not returning to Sydney, we bid adieu, and our lead vehicle and accompanying travellers travel east to Bathurst for a slight change of tempo with a drive around the world famous Mt Panorama Race Track! At the top we stop for exceptional views over the town and surrounding district.

We then travel just 10 minutes into the countryside where we plant eucalyptus trees that will one day provide nourishment and shelter for the local koala population. This planting also offsets all the carbon emissions from all the vehicles that have undertaken our journey. A small, simple gesture but one we feel is important. After all, if the wonderful wine regions we’ve visited undergo severe weather patterns in future years, the wonderful local businesses we’ve visited may, like the koalas, disappear from view.

Back in Bathurst, we have spare time for a coffee and early lunch, before the lead vehicle returns to Sydney. Other vehicles may choose their own time and best route, as suits them best.

• Within 3 days (72 hours) of the departure time of travel
  100% of the booking value is retained. If a medical certificate is provided, then the trip can be postponed, and a $250 re-booking fee applies.
• 4-14 days out from the departure date of travel
  100% credit for use on future travel or bookings can be transferred to someone else. A $250 re-booking fee per booking applies.
• 15+ days out from of the departure date of travel
  100% refund less a $250 cancellation fee per booking.