A trip to Europe is unlikely to be on the cards for any of us for the foreseeable future, and that’s enough to give anyone a case of sour grapes. However, a new Euro-inspired limited-edition winery tour of the Hunter Valley is aiming to convince you that being stuck here in Aus can be a glass-half-full situation. Although the genuine article is a hemisphere away, the culture and spirit of Europe still flow through the veins of NSW’s largest wine-growing region, and if you know where to look, you can immerse yourself in the flavours of the continent right here Down Under.
This wine tour isn’t just a good fit for those with an excess of wanderlust. It’s also one of the most affordable on the market – just $199 (reduced from $399) for the full-day itinerary, including all wine tastings and lunch – as well as being an ideal ice-breaker for anyone who may find visiting a cellar door intimidating. Talking about wine can be almost as technically demanding as making it, but you won’t need any jargon or specialist vocab to make the most of this day in the Valley. Hosted by Klook in partnership with Two Fat Blokes Wine Tours, this is an easy, accessible day tour that has the higher-register tasting notes for those who want them, while offering a less academic experience for those who simply want a day out in one of the state’s most beautiful locales, glass in hand.
After making the two-and-a-half-hour journey from Sydney, you can park up at the Hunter Valley Tourist Centre and board your ride for the day: a red double-decker London-style bus (nobody mention Brexit). With social distancing requirements strictly adhered to, there’s plenty of space to stretch out – top deck, of course – as you take in the rolling, vine-covered hills of the Hunter. Your friendly tour guide will point out landmarks of interest, as well as interesting factoids about the Hunter’s rich history (which you'll want to take note of – read on to find out why), as you’re whisked towards your first stop of the day.
The tour takes in four of the Hunter’s 167 cellar doors plus one of its breweries, carefully chosen for their European connections and dynamic tasting experiences. This tour starts as it means to go on at the Peterson Premium Sparkling House, which is commonly visited as the final stop on many other Hunter excursions. This winery was originally named after the famous French fizz that pops corks all over the world, but legal wranglings over the legitimate use of the C-word led to the slightly wordier rechristening. What has remained true to its French muse, however, are the methods by which Petersons produces its bubbles. The very same fermentation techniques used throughout the Champagne region are all part of the craftsmanship here, although applied to a wider variety of grapes, expanding its range to include chilled sparkling reds and rosés.
Liquid brekkie consumed, the tour continues to the current reigning champion of the Hunter’s Best Cellar Door Award. Key to Glandore Estate Wine’s impressive laurel is its innovative chocolate and wine pairing, part of a partnership more than a decade in the making with Sydney-based chocolateria Adora. While indisputably yummy in their respective rights, serving chocolate and wine in combination is notoriously difficult to get right. But with more than 17,000 such chocolate and wine experiences under its belt to date, Glandore has managed to make this difficult marriage into a very happy union. Another award-worthy aspect of the Glandore experience is the disarming and charismatic nature of its hosts. “There are no wrong answers in wine,” aver the hosts, opening the door for more candid conversations about likes and dislikes, thoughts and reactions.
Next on the itinerary is a trip to the Two Fat Blokes HQ and another pairing experience, this time with a selection of a more familiar bedfellow of wine – cheese. Eight of them, in fact, sourced from across the region and further afield. Now the day has hit its stride, the tasting notes take on a more technical edge, but all in the name of education rather than pretention. There are even tips on how to make bad wine more palatable – for cheap whites, chill them to near freezing and drink as quickly as possible!
With the spoils of three wineries already sunk, it’s time for a spot of lunch, and of course, European food is on the menu. It’s a hearty banquet-style affair, with huge platters of creamy pasta, thick, hand-stretched pizzas and heaving charcuterie boards, and for those who can’t get enough of a good thing, plenty of complimentary wine to wash it down.
While the other stops on the tour offer more subtle European connections, the fourth stop of the day wears its Italianate heart on its terracotta sleeve. Iron Gate Estate is built to resemble a rustic taverna, plucked straight from the hills of Sicily, and the driveway is even dotted with fruiting olive trees – a fairly common crop in the Hunter, to be fair, but here it certainly adds to the theatre of the place. An exclusive extra on this tour is the addition of live music at this stop, which will serenade you as your discuss your wine choices with the in-house sommelier. While the offering is fairly fixed at some other stops on this tour, here it’s a choose-your-own-adventure scenario. Not sure what you want? The somms are expert at figuring our their guests’ tastes and making savvy suggestions.
The final stop of the day heroes one of the lesser-known offerings of the Hunter Valley and takes this European odyssey north from the equator towards more Teutonic territory. The Ironbark Hill Brewhouse offers a range of classic crafts and speciality ales and beers, brewed on site, including delicious oddities like Black Forest Stout – a rich, malty German-style brew cut through with the sweetness of cherries – and the Watermelon Ale, which tastes just like, you’ve guessed it, watermelon. A flight of four schooners is available as part of the tour, although you can choose just one or two if you’re feeling on the full side. Once you've made your selection, you can it sip at your leisure in the beer garden as dusk sets in over this beautiful slice of New South Wales.
But were you paying attention during your day out in the Hunter? Just to keep things interesting, the tour concludes with a pop quiz, including more than a few details from those seemingly off-the-cuff yarns your tour guide was spinning. Those with a quick memory can walk away with some excellent goodies, including a selection of wines sampled throughout the day and Klook vouchers for future excursions.
Klook's 'Taste of Europe' wine tour is currently limited to just two excursions, on October 24 and November 28.
