Kelman

Kelman is unusual even by Hunter standards: a community-owned vineyard below Mount View where nine hectares of vines run between country cottages and homesteads on a shared 40-hectare property. Semillon went in the ground in 1996 and the first harvest followed in 1999, and the range has since widened to a Blanc de Blancs sparkling Chardonnay, a Viognier, Tempranillo, a Muscat and a handful of blends.

The tasting runs about 45 minutes, costs $10 a head and is refunded if you buy a bottle, so it is an easy Friday afternoon or weekend stop. The cellar door opens Friday to Sunday, and it is worth checking the events page before you go: the vineyard hosts one-off nights, a silent disco among them. It is a low-key, unpolished stop rather than a destination cellar door, which is much of the appeal.