Pokolbin Tours
Hunter Valley Small Group Wine, Gin, Cheese & Chocolate Tour from Hunter Valley
4.5

Hunter Valley Small Group Wine, Gin, Cheese & Chocolate Tour from Hunter Valley

By Dave's Travel & Events
Recommended by 93% of travellers
93% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation

Ages 18-99, max of 20 per group
Duration: 6–7 hours
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: English
More


  • Transport by air-conditioned minivan
  • Behind the scenes wine production tour of a local winery
  • Local Gin & Vodka Tasting
  • Relaxed one course lunch with wine or beer
  • Pick up and drop off at selected Hunter Valley hotels
  • Boutique wineries
  • Knowledgeable, engaging and entertaining guides
What's not included
  • Food and drinks, unless specified
  • Gratuities


Start:Traveller pickup offered.
    Pickup details
    • If you are in a rental or unlisted property within Lovedale, Pokolbin or Rothbury we can most likely pick you up, but please advise us when booking. Pick ups can be provided outside of these locations but charges may apply
    End:This activity ends back at the meeting point.

      • Not wheelchair accessible
      • Near public transportation
      If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 6912P11

      • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
      • Not recommended for pregnant travellers
      • Minimum drinking age is 18 years
      • Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
      • Most travellers can participate
      • Closed toe shoes required for production tour
      • This experience requires a minimum number of travellers. If it’s cancelled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
      • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travellers

      • For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.

      If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 6912P11

      From
      AU$250.00
      per adult
      Select date and travellers
      Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.

      Similar experiences

      Itinerary
      • 1
        We visit a number of wineries and dsitilleries on our tours. The Hunter Valley has some of Australia's best wine, food, cheese, chocolate and spirits and we’ll try them all on this tour as we visit 3 wineries and a distillery. Each stop includes a guided tasting by a local supplier with behind the scenes tours at select locations.
      About the operator
      Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
      • Dave's Travel & Events
        125
        Australia
        Joined in April 2014
      • Joaquin B
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Amazing day tour!
        The tour was amazing and Glenn was the absolute best guide!! He was so friendly, organized and made the most out of a super rainy day! We loved it and the tour!
        Written 18 January 2025
      • annacY855SS
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Hunter Valley wine tour
        I went on the tour with a friend and would highly recommend! Pick up and drop off was Sydney central. We had driver Col - a lovely, chatty and knowledgeable guy! He was super friendly and made the effort to get to know everyone in the group. It was a nice small group of travellers from all over the world and it was a really nice way to meet new people! A mix of couples, friends and families but it would also be perfect for a solo traveller. It was really well organised and all ran to time. The wineries all had something slightly different to offer, which kept things interesting! At one we did cheese pairings and another was chocolate and gelato. All the winemakers were knowledgeable and engaging. It was nice to visit some of the smaller, less commercial wineries and meet the winemakers themselves. Woodfired pizza and salad was provided at lunch and it was really good. Lots of choice for all tastes! The only downside for us was the vodka/gin stop at the end - it was quite a different vibe (coloured/flavoured spirits) and I think another winery or something a bit more similar would have been better. I appreciate it was to give variety (and it was just a quick stop) but it didn’t quite work for us. I’d highly recommend the trip, great value for money and we had a brill time!
        Written 4 January 2025
      • Quest53170816751
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Fantastic day.
        We had a great day on our wine tour of the Hunter. Matt was our guide and everything was as planned, OM time and lots if fun. All of the places we stopped had beautiful products and passionate people. Thanks again Matt (Davo).
        Written 3 November 2024
      • taniat629
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Fantastic Day!
        Amazing day with great tour guides. Shout out to Drew and Chris for such an informative tour. We met some great people. Really enjoyed ourselves.
        Written 11 October 2024
      • 850fionac
        0 contributions
        4.0 of 5 bubbles
        A long day but an enjoyable and unforgettable experience
        We did the Hunter Valley Win, Gin and Food Tastings Tour on 7th March 2024 with Daves Tours. The guide (unfortunately I can't remember his name) was a lovely Italian gentleman who was very welcoming, friendly and knowledgable. We had a lovely day touring various wineries in the Hunter Valley and saw some truly wonderful sights along the way. The Australian countryside is absolutely stunning! As the tour started very early, we drove over Sydney Harbour Bridge at 7.30am and that was an experience in itself! During the tour we went to one winery where there was a demonstration of how wine is made and we visited another where we got a lovely sample of different types of chocolate. Lunch was also included in the tour. We also had the chance to see some kangaroos although they were hiding under the shade of a tree as it was so hot! We were in a lovely small tour group - 7 in all. The only downside was the bus itself. It was very small and rickety and in my opinion, unsuitable for such a long journey - you're on the bus for at least 2.5 hours to get to your first winery (albeit with a coffee/toilet break along the way) and then it's another 2.5 hours back in to the centre of Sydney. The air con packed in at one point too. A larger, more modern, luxury type bus/coach would be much better for such a long journey. That was my only complaint however. Everything else was brilliant although with the length of the journey out and back, I don't know if I would do it again.
        Written 15 September 2024
      • ChloeC2084
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Fantastic wines and guided experience
        Went for the hunter valley wine tour with my friend, had an amazing time sampling wines, cheese and chocolate! Our guide Matt was wonderful and entertaining. Thanks Dave team for a great experience!
        Written 25 August 2024
      • Janine S
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Fantastic day in the Hunter Valley
        An awesome tour of the Hunter Valley. Boutique wineries, outstanding lunch and great cheese and chocolate wine pairings. The shimmering spirits was a fun twist too. Thanks Daves for a comprehensive tour of the Hunter, and keeping us warm, dry and happy on an otherwise wet rainy day. Our tour guide was excellent and we had a lovely group to spend the day with. Highly recommended 🥂🍷
        Written 15 August 2024
      • aldapedro
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Great Fun!
        Small group cheese & chocolate wine tour with pick up from Central, Sydney. Nice view and thanks to Jackson the driver & the guide we had a great time! Lunch was great with "all-you-can-eat" pizza!!
        Written 14 June 2024
      • GirlsWkend2014
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Highly recommend
        We did the day trip from Sydney to the Hunter Valley wineries with cheese and chocolate tastings also. Chris was a great host and we had an awesome day. Would totally recommend doing this trip.
        Written 9 June 2024
      • 756adamr
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Knowledgeable, professional, and charming host
        Had a thoroughly enjoyable beer tasting Hop Hunter trip on a woefully wet day with wonderful Matthew of Dave's Travel Group today. An excellent host and more than capable raconteur. Cheers mate.
        Written 21 April 2024
      • Jackalyn E
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        4 old friends
        The weather was miserable but Matt was very knowledgeable and kept our small group entertained giving us a fantastic experience.
        Written 21 April 2024
      • Andrew8502
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Hunter Valley exceptional experience
        Fantastic day touring the Hunter Valley wineries and a distillery. A really great selection of stops along the way and countless wine tastings, plus gin and vodka. Rounded off with cheese and chocolate at some venues. Perfect day.
        Written 17 April 2024
      • Vacation41506538789
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Great Pub Tour by Dave’s (with Gregg)
        We did a Dave’s Walking Pub Tour. We did 2.5 hours with Gregg and hit 4 “really old” Pubs. Good tour guide, good information and great beer. Gregg did a good job moving us along and informing us.
        Written 16 March 2024
      • G5160PTtimd
        0 contributions
        4.0 of 5 bubbles
        Great fun day in Hunter Valley
        Great day in the Hunter Valley with Patricia and Marco. Really nice balance of different wine tasting stops and a lovely lunch overlooking the mountains. Not sure we had the stamina for the gin tasting at the end! It is a long drive out from Sydney but thanks to Patricia for all the hard driving and leading the singing on the way back!
        Written 26 February 2024
      • E1145BLjeanp
        0 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Perfect day on the Hunter Valley Wine,Gin, Cheese & Chocolate tour 🥂
        What a wonderful day! Spectacular scenery, great company and the wineries we visited were fabulous. Thoroughly loved the experience and hats off to Col from Dave’s who was a brilliant host 🩵
        Written 13 January 2024
      See all 125 reviews
      These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

      Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

      Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

      Popular mentions

      We perform checks on reviews.
      Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
      Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
      When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
      Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
      Learn more about our review moderation.
      4.5
      4.5 of 5 bubbles77 reviews
      Excellent
      68
      Very good
      4
      Average
      1
      Poor
      2
      Terrible
      2

      Richard R
      Sarasota, FL22 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Nov 2024 • Couples
      What a great day, Our guide Chris was so entertaining and the wine stops had different samples to try. One of the planned stops had a fire that morning and it was where we were supposed to have lunch. They were able to rearrange on the fly so we didn't experience a disruption. The only thing that would have improved the tour would be lie flat seats for the return ride to Sydney!
      Written 24 December 2024
      This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
      Thanks again for the review, Richard! Chris will love hearing how much fun you had, and I’m glad the team could adapt seamlessly to keep the day running smoothly. Lie-flat seats—now that’s a suggestion to dream about! Cheers, Ellen
      Written 27 December 2024
      This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

      Malforda
      Chippenham, UK162 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Great value tour with visits to 3 separate wineries with a cheese and chocolate pairing and a gin and vodka tasting. Some great behind the scenes insights to wine production. Our guide, Cristal, was very knowledgable with a great dry sense of humour.
      Written 15 February 2023
      This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
      Thanks for the review, Ann! We'll pass the love on to Crystal Cheers, Cat
      Written 1 March 2023
      This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

      Scott M
      3 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Dec 2022
      This was by far the best tour we have ever been on, yes that sounds over the top, but we have been on lots of tours over the years and this one will be in our memories for a long time. our group ages varied greatly from 21 to 82 and everyone left feeling content with bags full of yummy wine, Gin and cheeses.
      The day started off by being picked up from our accommodation, the bus was clean, air conditioned and Todd our tour guide was welcoming and fun yet professional enough not to be part of the group but also always there in the background ready to take our purchases back to the bus or help out when required. Each stop was interesting, the winery tour guides were professional and gave a great history lesson about the wineries, how the wines were made and what each wine went with best.
      Lunch was wood fired pizza and salad which was delicious and came with a complementary drink of your choice.
      The day was finished off at a distillery that brewed the most amazing shots that glitter.
      My only complaint was that I'm too old to party that hard and it will take me weeks to recover.
      Written 13 December 2022
      This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
      Thanks for taking the time to review! We've already passed this on and let Todd know he is a 5 star guide. Cheers, Cat
      Written 15 January 2023
      This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

      Camille n
      2 contributions
      1.0 of 5 bubbles
      Apr 2022
      This was my second wine tour experience and was unfortunately extremely disappointing compared to the one I did last year. To start, I found very odd that our two groups were separated as Asian or Caucasian. My partner and I are locals from Sydney but with Asian backgrounds and were put in a group with Asians only while the other group was only with Caucasian couples. I really hope it was a coincidence. Then we started the day straight away with wine tasting followed by gin and vodka tasting first thing in the morning. No food was provided so we had wine, gin and vodka on an empty stomach. During the tour I did last year we started the morning with the cheese tasting which to me, makes more sense. Then for lunch we went to that loud and overcrowded place where we had 4 slices of pizza each and a bit of salad (my partner was worried to take too much salad and starve the rest of the group) and only one glass of wine or beer to accompany our poor lunch. We then headed to the cheese and wine tasting and ended the day with the chocolate tasting. The last two were nice but portions were quite small again compared to the wine tour I did last year. The only reason having cheese then chocolate after lunch was okay is because we barely had any food overall. Just like at the end of the day, my partner and I were barely tipsy. It feels like this whole experience was a bit of a rip off as every winery we went to were charging the lowest price per person for tasting so this experience seemed way overpriced. The only positive thing of the day was our tour guide or "Dave" who had been very nice and helpful. But otherwise, don't recommend and won't book again.
      Written 18 April 2022
      This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
      Hi Camille, thanks for the review. Seeing as you have just copied and pasted this review from another platform where you accuse us of racism, i can only do the same. We are a tour business that welcomes local and international guests and shows them in and around one of the most multicultural cities in Australia. We are not now and have never been racist. This makes absolutely no sense for our business. We take these accusations very seriously. I will clarify everything you have written regarding the tour, including how we gave you too much alcohol, then not enough and your perception of how your tour was racially profiled. Regarding the seats on the buses: One bus came from Sydney and picked you up south of our start point as you stayed in Cessnock and it's on the way. The second bus came from Newcastle and picked up others staying east of the start point along the way. How and when our guests are picked up is based on their location, the relative seats we have on the bus and how long everyone spends on the bus. If everyone who came from Sydney on Easter Sunday on your bus was Asian, IT IS PURELY COINCIDENCE and it may have something to do with international travellers staying in Sydney and returning to that accommodation rather than overnighting in the Valley. I personally organised the pick ups and buses, and I find it already difficult enough without thinking how I will racially profile our tours. We only check the lead passengers name, so we can't even guess what every guest looks like and with a name like Camille Neuilly, how would I think you and your partner are Asian? The buses also followed the exact same itinerary all day, so there was no preference to either bus. Itinerary: You had toured with us in the past, the itinerary was very similar, except cheese pairing was later in the day. We sometimes do our tours this way, especially if venues are busy. It was Easter Sunday, the busiest weekend of the year in the Hunter. So if a place is busy, it's because everyone else has the same idea and booked that day. It's also why we may need to split groups and rearrange the running order of the day to make sure we can work with all our partners to provide a great tour experience. Wine and spirit tasting on a wine and gin tour: Wine and spirit tasting before lunch is a standard itinerary and we do it regularly. It is not a large amount and your morning was more than adequately spaced.You were picked up for a wine tour at 10am, a tasting of 7 wines at 10:30am plus a production tour, at 12pm you had 6 x 5ml tasters of spirits followed by lunch at 1pm. If it was too much for you too handle, there are disposal vessels on each table for pouring what you don't intend to finish. I am a little confused as you have said the alcohol was not enough at the end of the day though. We are offering a tasting at the venues we visit, we are not a party bus and if you wanted to 'get stuck in' there are plenty of other tour operators  who run that kind of tour. The chocolate and cheese portions are exactly the same as the year before. Lunch: The guide has mentioned in his internal tour report that lunch was short initially, but it was rectified, so if you needed more you just needed to let us know. If half a large pizza wood fired isn't enough, then we would have gotten more as we had done already. Regarding how we just do a glass at lunch, that is all we do and all we did on the last tour you joined. I do find it hard to understand how you had had too much too drink before lunch, but then a glass of wine or beer wasn't enough at lunch? To summarise, you had a very similar tour to the previous year but i believe that you feel you were racially vilified from the start that meant you thought you were getting a sub par experience. This is insulting, ridiculous and impossible and i hope anyone reading the review and response can see the other amazing reviews from customers all over the world. Regards, Gregg
      Written 9 May 2022
      This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

      Pauline C
      1 contribution
      1.0 of 5 bubbles
      Feb 2024 • Couples
      The actual wineries were great. The bus ride was not pleasant. Took 3 hours from Sydney Darling Harbour to get to wineries. Driver/tour guide (Patricia)appeared to be an inexperienced driver, especially around the city. At times was rude to some patrons. Knowledge seemed to be somewhat lacking as well.
      Written 14 March 2024
      This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
      Hi there, The Hunter is a fair distance away and we do make a short comfort stop on the way. We do spend 6 hours or so in the Valley itself on tour, but we cannot do much about the distance and time unfortunately. The guide on the other hand, we can and have. Patricia no longer works in our business and unfortunately we have to find out how she performed through these reviews. I'd like to apologise for the experience you had and we'd like to repair our reputation as best we can as the above review is not what we do. We do not have your details, please contact us info@daves.com.au and we can go from there. Regards, Gregg
      Written 3 April 2024
      This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

      Bob
      2 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Jan 2023
      Todd picked us up in Sydney and was a real pro. He got us there and back safely and even dropped off a few of the guests along the way near where they lived which was very kind of him. We saw kangaroos roaming wild at two the of vineyards which was very cool to see. I'm not a big vodka/gin drinker, so I can't comment on the quality of the spirits. For the wines, I would say I preferred the whites over the reds even though my preference is for full body reds. That's just what this particular region seems to grow better. It was nice to see the countryside and get out of the city. It's a fairly long day, so just make sure you're up for a two hour ride from Sydney to Hunter Valley each way. Wine tastings and gin/vodka tastings are included along with a lunch (we had pizza). Good value for a full day trip and would recommend.
      Written 27 January 2023
      This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
      Thanks for your rave review of Todd, he'll be chuffed to hear it! Cheers, Cat
      Written 29 January 2023
      This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

      Brett S
      1 contribution
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Sept 2023 • Couples
      Great day out. Our driver Greg was fantastic, always engaged and having a laugh, answered all our questions to the best of his knowledge and made everyone feel welcome. The tour had everything we wanted, wine, Gin, Vodka, Cheese and Chocolate. I even had a beer that wasn't part of the tasting at Hunter Wine Lab to try before I bought. All the places hosts we visited were excellent. Lunch was very tasty wood fired pizza's. We stayed in the Valley and ended up going back in the next day after our tour and purchased something from every place we visited. Thanks Greg and Dave's Travels for a great day. Couldn't recommend more highly.
      Written 11 September 2023
      This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
      Glad to hear you had a great day with Gregg. Thanks for joining us! Cheers, Cat
      Written 26 December 2023
      This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

      Tanya
      Melbourne, Australia36 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      A fantastic day out, with a huge variety of wines to taste. Really great value for money, and we particularly appreciated the detour on the way home to see some kangaroos that were hanging out in a vineyard! All of the wineries had their own story to tell, and lunch was especially delicious too. Thank you to Todd too, for being a great driver and host for the day!
      Written 6 January 2023
      This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
      Thanks for taking the time to review! We've already passed this on and let Todd know he is a 5 star guide. Cheers, Cat
      Written 15 January 2023
      This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

      Dellsperger
      League City, TX23 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      We had a great time in the tour. Crystal was informative and very knowledgeable about the region and winemaking process. The wineries we went to were small family owned. Lunch at the Bimbadgen Winery and Pizza was wonderful. My wife and I are not a fan of sweet wines which unfortunately was a more prevalent choice than we would have preferred. Hunter is known for Semillon, Shiraz and Chardonnay but in 4 wine opportunities we did not get to sample a single semillon. The other trip guests were great company and enriched our experience. Thanks.
      Written 12 January 2023
      This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
      Thanks for the review! We'll pass the love on to Crystal Cheers, Cat
      Written 15 January 2023
      This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

      Bryan
      Rosamond, CA4 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      From start to finish the was an amazing experience. I was a solo amongst 15 others. Chris was a very personable and professional guide. Even on a light rainy day the pickup was on time. He was extremely knowledgeable of the area and kudos to him. The wineries were all very boutique and the Gin & Vodka tasting was delightful. I’m not a Gin or Vodka fan but I am now. I would recommend this trip to anyone who wants a relaxing wine tasting experience.
      Written 16 June 2024
      This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
      We're glad to hear you had a great time! Thanks for your rave review of Chris, he'll be chuffed to hear it! Cheers, Ellen
      Written 6 August 2024
      This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

      …
      Showing results 1-10 of 77
      *Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.

      Hunter Valley Small Group Wine, Gin, Cheese & Chocolate Tour from Hunter Valley provided by Dave's Travel & Events

      All Pokolbin HotelsPokolbin Hotel DealsLast Minute Hotels in Pokolbin
      All things to do in Pokolbin
      Spas & Wellness in PokolbinZoos & Aquariums in PokolbinTheatre & Concerts in Pokolbin
      RestaurantsFlightsHoliday RentalsTravel StoriesCruisesRental Cars