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  • Home
  • About
    • All Star Profile
    • Current Outlets
  • Stories
    • Tahitian Dreaming Paul Gauguin Cruises
    • Cruise Ship's Historic Return to SA's Copper Coast
    • MSC Grandiosa
    • Ruby Princess
    • Return to Sri Lanka
    • Bryce Canyon
    • Hunter Gatherings
    • Visit Planet Batuu on your next holiday
    • The Falkland Islands
    • Zagreb has just about everything!
    • Historic Train Journeys in Yorkshire
    • The Sunshine State
    • To The Top of Europe
    • The Kimberley and Mitchell Falls
    • Forget Bali - Go Bush
    • Ireland.. It’s just like the movies
    • Tap and Go Sydney
    • Milwaukee: Easy does it
    • PNG with P&O
    • Port Douglas
    • India's Golden Triangle
    • Guns Gods and Gin
    • Return to Paradise
    • The Outback and fascinating Lava Tubes at Undara.
    • SAILING MEKONG’s PAST IN THE PRESENT
    • Italian Treat
    • Jasper
    • The Ghan
    • Grand Old Ladies
    • Brisbane to Townsville
    • MSC Seaside
    • First to the Frozen Continent Antarctica
    • Cuba's New Revolution
    • THE travel destinations for 2018
    • British Columbia and Grizzly Bears
    • Samoa
    • Mudgee
    • SeaDream A Seven-Day Dream
    • Winnipeg Canada
    • City and beach options in Thailand
    • The Canadian
    • Lonna Island
    • Ancient encounters along the Kimberley Coast
    • Silja Line
    • Play and Stay in Uber Cool Brisbane
    • The Vasa Museum
    • Travel to Noosa - For Cooking Classes
    • Spirit House hits new high
    • Mudgee's Blue Wren Winery
    • Helsinki: Europe’s new cool
    • Doing the Locomotion on Grandma's Express
    • SWEPT AWAY BY BROOME
    • Madrid – Tapas on Offer All Day
    • The Southern Highlands - Bowral
    • A Day Trip to China
    • The Never Never
    • Alaska 101
    • The Hydro Majestic Hotel
    • When is a Legend Born?
    • Sun Princess
    • An Amazing Journey
    • Mandurah and Blue Swimmer's
    • A MILLION DANCING SMILES IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA
    • See the historic wonders of Hội An, Vietnam
    • Holidays with Pets
    • YEPPOON – AN OASIS IN THE TROPICS
    • O'REILLY'S
    • Coober Pedy
    • Rum - Smuggler’s - Slavery
    • Sri Lanka
    • Secrets of the Great Ocean Road
    • Looking for Napoleon
    • Blue Lagoon
    • Where is Bowen?
    • The Central Coast of NSW
    • Lake Geneva
    • Mudgee NSW
    • Margaret River
    • Indian Pacific
    • Alsace
    • Cruising Asia
    • The Magnificent Murray
    • Lakes and Daffodils
    • Secret Places
    • Pencils
    • Pacific Jewel
    • Contact
    • Cruising with Holland America Line
    • Bewitching Mt Tamborine
    • Hill End NSW
    • The Heart of the Gold Coast
    • Outback Australia
    • Emerald Princess
    • Ottawow – Canada's exciting capital
    • Majorca
    • The Secret World of Pacific Palms
    • Escape the last of Winter
    • Sailing on Emerald Princess
    • Finding your own Oasis in Doha
    • Tokyo DisneySea
​    Hunter Gatherings: a day of wine and food in the Hunter Valley
-Words and images by John Maddocks

It’s an early start in Sydney for our group of wine and food lovers, but no-one’s complaining. In fact, there’s an air of anticipation as we board the late model coach and settle in for the two-hour journey north to the Hunter region. After all, we’re headed for three exceptional estates in the country’s oldest wine producing region and lunch at an award-winning restaurant. And when the wine tasting is over, we won’t have to worry about driving.
            Taking a day tour makes sense in other ways too. With over 150 vineyards in the Hunter Valley, some expert guidance is needed. A lot has happened here since James Busby came back from Europe in 1832 with 20,000 vine cuttings and inspired the founding of vineyards that currently boast some of the oldest vine stock in the world. And while most wine buffs know that the Hunter has long been renowned for a unique Semillon and famous Shiraz, a new breed of young winemakers is now producing Sangiovese, Fiano and Tempranillo styles as well.
            After turning off the Pacific Motorway, we enjoy the attractive Hunter landscape of rolling hills, endless vines and numerous olive groves. Soon there are several sightings of kangaroos. Reaching Pokolbin, we enter the tree-lined driveway at Tintilla Estate and are soon greeted by our hosts, John and James Lusby. Here we taste a range of whites and reds, starting with a Spritzanti and moving on to a Semillon called The Angus. Tintilla also boasts a highly rated Shiraz, an excellent Merlot and a distinctive Cabernet Merlot. The Lusbys were central in pioneering Sangiovese in the Hunter, producing a Rosato di Jupiter and a blended style. The tasting is accompanied by some delicious Tintilla olives.
            The striking thing about our next stop, Bimbadgen, is undoubtedly the amazing view. In fact, the name itself derives from an indigenous word for ‘place of good view’. Bimbadgen is well known for several other reasons too, including world-class concerts in the ‘Day on the Green’ program and the multi-award winning Esca restaurant. Our lunch choices at Esca are matched with appropriate wines, so the Char Siu Duck, for example, is matched with a Bimbadgen Fiano and the delicious St Agur dessert of figs, lavender, honey and meringue is accompanied by a Merlot.
            Our last stop is Leogate Estate, which needs no introduction to wine connoisseurs. The original Brokenback Vineyard was planted under the direction of a syndicate headed by the late wine writer Len Evans, and what is now Leogate Estate produces some of the finest examples of Hunter Semillon, Chardonnay and Shiraz. The wines are so good, in fact, that Leogate’s ‘The Basin’ Reserve Shiraz and ‘Brokenback Vineyard’ Shiraz have been selected for Qantas First and Business Class wine lists. Needless to say, the wine tasting here was memorable.
 
The writer travelled courtesy of AAT Kings
 
Getting there: AAT Kings runs a Hunter Valley Harvest Wine Experience from Sydney. See https://www.aatkings.com/tours/sydney/hunter-valley-harvest-wine-experience/
 
Visit:   
Tintilla Estate
725 Hermitage Road, Pokolbin NSW
Tel: (02) 6574 7093
https://www.tintilla.com.au/
 
Bimbadgen
790 McDonalds Rd, Pokolbin NSW 
Tel:(02)49984600
https://www.bimbadgen.com.au
 
Leogate Estate
1693 Broke Road Pokolbin NSW
(02) 4998 7499
https://www.leogate.com.au/
 
See John's new book Against the Odds: surviving the world's worst tsunami and overcoming trauma at www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07CZCHX8S/
 
Feature supplied by: www.wtfmedia.com.au
 
Captions:
Hunter 01: Gorgeous Tintilla is a classic family run wine estate.
Hunter 02: Tintilla produces some marvellous wines, including Shiraz, Merlot, Cabernet Merlot and Sangiovese.
Hunter 03: Let the wine tasting begin!
Hunter 04: James and John Lusby, the men behind Tintilla wines.
Hunter 05: The bell tower at Bimbadgen has become the logo of the wine brand.
Hunter 06: A tempting array of wines greets us at Bimbadgen.
Hunter 07: A platter of fine food is the ideal accompaniment for good wine.
Hunter 08: The Leogate Estate’s Brokenback Vineyard is producing some of the best wines in the Hunter region.
 

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