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Embark on an exhilarating half-day escapade into the heart of the Hunter Valley, where award-winning wines, breathtaking vineyard landscapes, and a delectable light lunch await. This all-inclusive, accessible mid-day tour is designed to showcase the very best of the region’s boutique winemaking. 🍷
Boutique Tastings and Scenic Valley Views
Your adventure unfolds with a curated itinerary featuring two exclusive winery stops. Immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of Pokolbin and Lovedale as you indulge in premium tastings that dance on your palate. Between tastings, relax on our comfortable, fully accessible tour bus as the stunning vineyard scenery rolls by.
A Delectable Vineyard Lunch
The highlight of your journey takes place in the heart of a working boutique vineyard. Here, you will savour a locally sourced, casual light lunch served amidst the picturesque vines. We strive to accommodate medical dietary requirements to ensure this culinary experience is accessible to all guests. 🍇
Local Spirits and Gourmet Delights
Your sensory journey continues with a fun, casual stop to sample some of the Hunter Valley’s finest locally crafted vodkas and gins. To complete your afternoon, we visit local cheese and chocolate shops, giving you the perfect opportunity to sample and purchase delicious gourmet treats before returning to your accommodation. 🍫
Important Tour Details
- Tasting Fees: Included at two wineries, as well as cheese and spirits venues.
- Medical Dietary Requirements: We advise venues of medical food allergies or dietary requirements. However, as tastings are provided by third-party venues, we cannot guarantee all restrictions can be met.
- Local Pickup: Free pickup and return within immediate Cessnock, Nulkaba, Pokolbin, and Rothbury areas (excluding Mount View or Pokolbin Mountain accommodations).
- Minimum Numbers: A minimum of 6 people is required to run this tour. If numbers are not met, you may be offered a transfer to our full or half-day tour.
- Dress Code: Please wear comfortable clothing suitable for a shared vehicle and appropriate for the weather. Closed-in footwear is strongly recommended for safety on uneven vineyard ground.
- Group Restrictions: This shared tour is not suitable for hens or bucks groups unless booking the entire vehicle.
We would like to say thank you for booking your half day tour with a light lunch with us. You are set for a fun and informative half day exploring the Hunter Valley Vineyards.
Remember its a light lunch provided with this tour not a hearty sit down meal.
You will be contacted usually the night before by text or email to advise you, your pickup time for your tour. A general average is most pickups are between 11.30 – 12pm.
We pickup from most reception or entrance areas of hotels/motels not individual rooms/cabin/villas etc.
If your airbnb is on a rural property or down a long drive way, you may be required to meet your tour bus at the front entry gate. You may need to drive down to the gate in case the weather turns.
Your tour continues in all weather conditions. Please dress according to the weather on the day.
Please wear closed in shoes were possible as the vineyards have uneven, dirt, stone pathways. You may also wish to take a photo in the vineyards themselves, as we are in Australia there may be all forms of creatures in the vineyards or grass around. Thongs or stiletto’s are not the best things to wear.
Please ensure your pickup address has been given to us.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Tour Information
Minimum number of 6 people are needed to run this tour. If the Minimum numbers have not been met, you may be transferred over to blend in with a full day or our standard half day tour. We will let you know if this happens.
Each tour has a specific route to follow with venues pre-selected and tasting fees paid for. Checking the description of the tour before you book is important as changes are not permitted.
You will be contacted before your tour often the day/night before with your pickup time and location to meet the tour bus.
Your tour will be usually between 11am (pickup) to 4.30pm (drop-off) on average but may be different on the day. If you’re accommodation or pickup address is outside the 10km from Central Pokolbin, you will need to meet the tour group at the Hunter Valley Gardens bus stop at the shopping village.
Important to note: We do NOT collect you from Mt View or Pokolbin Mountain Roads. You will need to meet the tour bus group at the an agreed location.
We will ask you to wait for the tour bus in a specific location, this is for the ease of pickup, and you may be able to have the tour bus return you to the door of your accommodation after the tour. If you have chosen an accommodation with a long driveway or on a rural property, we do not enter the private property and will only pick you up from the front gate of the property or a near-by main crossroad *It may be wise to drive down to the gate to wait, in the event of weather.
There are other people to pickup on a shared tour. We would like you to be ready to board the bus when it arrives.
Lunch
You may be offered alternative lunch options if the weather is not suitable for a light picnic style lunch. This will be advised on the day.
As we source our lunch from a local cafe and can not guarantee to meet all dietary choices. The cafe can cater to Medical requirements such as GF, DF, Vegan, Vegetarian.
Tasting Fees and Lunch
Tasting Fees and Lunch is included.
Visits at the Hunter Belle Cheese rooms are paid visits and involve samples of the cheese/dairys products. It is not mandatory for you to participate. Vegan cheeses are not provided at these samples, this is a decision of the Hunter Belle Cheese Dairy. Cheese Tasting fee’s are not redeemable or refundable.
The chocolate venue is to look and purchase products/food if you desire. At times samples are provided, if they are these samples are complimentary from the venue and arranged by the venue themselves. You do not have to participate. Any complaints or feedback about receiving complimentary samples should be directed the venue owner or staff and is controlled by HVTours and voluntary to participate in by you.
Your paid Spirits Tastings at Small Mouth Vodka is for fun and something different to try. You are not obligated to participate and is voluntary to participate in. Please let us know at time of booking if you do not wish to participate.
Tastings at the Garden Cellars is a demonstration of varied wine tasting presentations available, people have a choice of their tastings at this venue. Wines only – wines and local spirits – local spirits only or people can go in to the shopping village to do some personal shopping and meet the bus group back at bus at allocated time. Please discuss this with your tour guide on the day. Tastings are not mandatory and are not refundable if you chose not to participate.
Dress Code on the Day
Clothing: Please wear clothing suitable to sharing a common space in the tour vehicle with other people and appropriate for the weather on the day.
Tours are conducted in all weather.
Footwear: Please wear closed in footwear. You could possibly be walking on uneven/wet/dusty ground and for safety reasons we strongly encourage and recommend closed in footwear.
Drinking of Alcohol and Use of Recreational Drugs
Drinking of alcohol and use of recreational drugs on any tour bus is prohibited. This includes any alcohol drinks you may purchase while on tour in the tour bus. We do not allow eskys or any open vessels of alcohol onboard in the tour bus. If you breach this and are found consuming alcohol or with an open vessel of alcohol in the tour bus, we have the right to ask you to leave the tour immediately and no refund will be given. HV Tours is not a party bus and does not have a ‘party bus’ bus accreditation or insurances.
Group Restrictions
All shared day tours are not suitable for hens or bucks groups without prior notice and booking the whole tour bus out for just your group.
Seat Belts
Seat belts must be worn.
