Pokolbin is the centre of the Hunter, and the part of it most people picture. More cellar doors, restaurants and accommodation sit here than in the rest of the valley combined, about twelve kilometres west of Cessnock and a two-hour drive north of Sydney. Hunter wine tourism started here, with vineyards planted from the 1850s, and several of those old estates are still open a few minutes’ drive from one another.
The wines to know are Semillon and Shiraz, then Chardonnay. The cellar doors are close enough together that you can visit a few in one day without much time on the road, which is why Pokolbin is the easiest place to start.
Plan how you’ll get around before you go. Tasting and driving don’t mix, so a lot of people use the local hop-on hop-off shuttle, which runs a set route through the Pokolbin cellar doors. Check its current timetable for each stop you want, and reserve restaurants and accommodation early on weekends, when the area fills up.
