From the resort-and-cellar-door heart of Pokolbin to quieter Lovedale and Broke, practical Cessnock and historic Wollombi — here's how the areas compare and the best base for a wine-country weekend.
The wine country's heart — luxury lodges, resorts and day spas, with the most cellar doors and restaurants on the doorstep. The top base.
Quieter boutique wineries and guesthouses, a short drive from Pokolbin — relaxed and scenic.
Rural and boutique, with a cluster of wineries and a more away-from-it-all feel.
The main town, with the most services and better-value motels and pubs, minutes from the cellar doors.
A historic, quirky village to the south — characterful pubs and a peaceful hinterland setting.
Scattered through Pokolbin and Lovedale — the Hunter is one of NSW's best regions for a spa-and-vineyard escape.
Stay in Pokolbin to be within a short tour or cycle of the most cellar doors — or choose Lovedale for the same wine country at a quieter pace.
Pokolbin is the classic base — in the heart of the wine country, with the most cellar doors, restaurants and resorts on the doorstep. Lovedale and Broke are quieter, more boutique alternatives.
Pokolbin puts you among the greatest concentration of wineries, so you can reach many on a tour or by bike. Lovedale offers a quieter vineyard setting nearby.
From luxury vineyard lodges and resorts with day spas around Pokolbin, to boutique guesthouses and B&Bs in Lovedale and Broke, and better-value motels and pubs in Cessnock.
Cessnock is the region's main town, with the most services and better-value accommodation — a practical base a short drive from the Pokolbin cellar doors.
Yes — Newcastle is under an hour east and Port Stephens about an hour away, so you can pair a vineyard stay with a beach day, or base yourself on the coast and day-trip to the wineries.
Cooee Tours acknowledges the Wonnarua people as the Traditional Custodians of the Hunter Valley, and pays respect to their Elders past and present.