Wine brought the visitors, and the food followed. The lanes of Pokolbin and Lovedale are now dotted with cheese makers, chocolate shops, olive groves, distilleries and breweries, and the region’s restaurants are a reason to visit in their own right.
This is also how to keep non-drinkers, designated drivers and children happy: most of these stops offer tastings that have nothing to do with alcohol.
Top things to do: Food, Cheese & Craft Drinks
Cheese
Local cheese shops and dairies in Pokolbin and Lovedale sell handmade soft, washed-rind and marinated cheeses, and most offer tasting plates. A cheese and wine pairing class is an easy, inexpensive introduction.
Chocolate, olive oil and more
Several chocolate makers have shops with viewing windows and free samples — one sits beside Hunter Valley Gardens. Olive growers offer tastings of extra virgin oils, table olives and vinegars.
Distilleries and breweries
Gin, vodka and liqueurs are made at a handful of small distilleries, and craft beer is brewed at several venues, including resort brewhouses. Tasting paddles are the norm. The same drink-driving rules apply as for wine.
Book a destination restaurant
The Hunter’s leading tables include Muse at Hungerford Hill, EXP. in Pokolbin and the French-accented Bistro Molines in Mount View, alongside many good winery restaurants. All need booking — weeks ahead for weekend dinners.
How to get there
- Where: most food stops are within a few minutes of each other around Broke Road and McDonalds Road in Pokolbin, with more in Lovedale.
- By tour: many wine tours include a cheese and a chocolate stop; some add a distillery.
- For dinner: pre-book a taxi or transfer — evening transport is limited.
Insider tips
- Bring a cool bag in summer if you plan to buy cheese or chocolate.
- Restaurant line-ups and opening days change; check each venue’s website and book before you travel.
- Many restaurants close on one or two weekdays, usually early in the week.
Best tours & tickets: Food, Cheese & Craft Drinks
These top-rated experiences are the easiest way to enjoy Food, Cheese & Craft Drinks and the rest of the Hunter Valley:
Local food & wine tour from A$285 Hunter Valley: Wine, Gin, Cheese and Chocolate Tour
A day that goes beyond wine: cellar doors, a spirits tasting, cheese and chocolate, with lunch and pickup from your accommodation included. A good choice for mixed groups where not everyone is a wine drinker.
- Wine tastings plus local spirits
- Cheese and chocolate stops
- Hotel pickup in the Hunter Valley and lunch included
Masterclass from A$39 Pokolbin: Cheeses of the World Masterclass
A one-hour class for people who love cheese but are never sure which wine to pour with it. You taste a range of cheeses alongside matching wines and come away with a few simple rules.
- A guided tasting of cheeses with matching wines
- Learn the basics of pairing cheese and wine
- Small group
Seated tasting from A$35 Hunter Valley: Tulloch Wine Tasting and Chocolate Pairings
A 45-minute seated tasting at Tulloch, a Pokolbin family name with well over a century of winemaking behind it. Each wine is paired with a locally made chocolate, and the host explains why the match works.
- A hosted tasting at one of the Hunter’s historic family wineries
- Wines matched with locally made chocolates
- Easy to fit between other stops
Half-day tour from A$129 Pokolbin: Hunter Valley Half-Day Tour with Cheese and Wine
A morning tour with pickup from local accommodation: three boutique wineries, private tastings and local cheeses matched to the wines. You are back by early afternoon, which leaves time for a long lunch, the gardens or the pool.
- Private tastings at three boutique wineries
- Wines matched with local cheeses
- Morning tour — your afternoon stays free
