13 Winery Visits in Sydney to Build a Day Around

1.Chef-Led Hunter Valley Gourmet Food and Wine Day Tour from Sydney

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 728 reviews · from $198Our pick

Join chef and guide Jimmy for an 11 to 12-hour food-and-wine day from Sydney. Start at the Sydney Fish Market, stop by the Hawkesbury River, then visit three boutique Hunter Valley wineries. Breakfast, lunch, snacks, tastings, transport, and fresh wine pairings are included. Hotel pickup is available from selected Sydney locations.

“This tour was everything you want; food, wine, site seeing, informative & social! Just can’t be more effusive if my praise for Jimmy and the entire experience.”

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2.Luxury Hunter Valley Wildlife & Wine Tasting Tour from Sydney

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 652 reviews · from $89

Join Kangarrific Tours for a 10-hour Hunter Valley outing from Sydney, led by guides such as Sam. Travel in a small luxury minibus to a wildlife park, two boutique wineries, and a cheese, olive oil, and chocolate stop. Wildlife admission, tastings, and lunch cost extra, so budget beyond the advertised fare.

“Amazing trip to the Hunter Valley along with an excellent side trip to the Australian Reptile Park - the park was amazing and we managed to get close to a number of the Koalas and Kangaroos. The trip to hunter valley included two wine tastings and one cheese and chocolate tasting - all amazing. Our guide, Sam, was super knowledgeable and took good care of us - he even dropped us to the hotel on the way back, which was very kind of him.”

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3.Full-Day Hunter Valley Wine Tour & Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 563 reviews · 11 hours · from $155

Travel from Sydney to the Hunter Valley in an air-conditioned minibus for three winery tastings, lunch with a drink, cheese and chocolate pairings, and a distillery visit. Guides including Michael, Peter and Thales add friendly commentary, while one winery offers a behind-the-scenes look at production. Expect a full day and plenty of samples.

“What a great day. We were picked up by our driver Thalles and were a small group of 7 in an air conditioned minibus. It was a long 2.5 hour drive into Hunter Valley to our first stop, Irongate Estate Winery where Geoff the head wine maker gave us a tour and explained how the wines were made. We then had a tasting of 7 different wines. Then onto Pokolbin estate where we tasted another 8 wines paired with chocolate. Our next stop was for lunch at 4 pines. Lunch was provided and was very good and included a beer, wine or soft drink. After lunch we went on to…”

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4.Wildlife, Waterfalls and Wine Day Tour from Sydney

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 541 reviews · from $268

Leave Sydney with a guide such as Steve, Jackie, Tony, or Rowan for a full day of wildlife, coast and country scenery. Visit Symbio Wildlife Park before public opening, meet koalas and wallabies, walk to Fitzroy Falls, enjoy lunch by the beach, and taste local wine. Groups are capped at 11.

“Tony was an excellent tour guide. I would highly recommend this excursion to anyone. He very knowledgeable of facts that made this trip worth going on.”

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5.Hunter Valley Wine, Gin & Food Tastings Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 221 reviews · 11h 30m · from $159

Spend about 11.5 hours touring Hunter Valley from central Sydney, with boutique winery tastings, gin and vodka, cheese, chocolate, and lunch with wine, beer, or cider. Guides such as Drew, Chris, and Colin bring the drive and tastings to life, while the small-group format leaves room for questions and kangaroo spotting.

“Lovely, a 2 hour drive to the valley, and then visiting 3 vineyards, with each its own characteristics. the first was a small vineyard with most wines being light of taste (always good to start with), 2nd one was also a boutique vineyard with the owner explaining the various wines with cheese. The 3rd one was a larger vineyard with chocolate tasting. Each vineyard had its own distinguished taste of wines. Excellent tour, from which I think all participants (14) enjoyed it. Would for sure do it again, if back in Sydney”

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6.Wine Tour with 3 Tastings and Garden Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 103 reviews · 10 hours · from $166

Travel from Sydney to Hunter Valley in a small group of 8 to 14, stopping at three or four boutique wineries, a cheese producer, and Cypress Lakes for lunch. Guides such as Ben, Rafael, and Jeff have led lively, informative days, with Semillon, Shiraz, local produce, and scenic vineyard stops on the menu.

“Wonderful day out with 3 boutique wine tastings and cheese and chocolate shopping. Highly recommended!!”

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7.Wine Tour with 2-Course Lunch, Choc & Cheese

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 100 reviews · 11h 30m · from $155

Spend about 11.5 hours travelling from Sydney to the Hunter Valley with guides such as Chen, Alfie, Alan, or Tom. Visit two wineries, taste local cheese and chocolate, and enjoy a two-course lunch with matched wine. The day is long, social, and best suited to adults who want a simple way to sample the region without driving.

“We were picked up right past 7 by Chen. He was greeting us with a smile and had made the effort to learn our names. He seemed knowledgeable and had picked some great wineries for us to try out; Audrey Wilkinson, Draytons and Savanah Estate (each providing 7-8 tastings). For lunch we were at the 4 pines farm, which was the only part of our itinerary not meeting our expectations; food was ok, but bland, but we were surprised that we were only able to have one sample (200ml) of beer with the food from this brewery (in comparison the wine glasses were generous at around 250ml). Overall good experience,…”

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8.All Inclusive Boutique Hunter Valley Wine Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 81 reviews · 10 hours · from $166

Spend 10 hours in Hunter Valley with a small group of up to 14. Your English-speaking guide, often Jim or John, leads tastings of up to 20 wines at boutique wineries, followed by artisan cheese, a lakeside lunch with wine, and a comfortable ride from Sydney.

“I've had a great time doing this tour in the vineyard of the Hunter Valley. We tasted some pretty good wines and met some nice people along the way.”

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9.Hunter Valley Wine Tasting & Winery Picnic Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 70 reviews · 1 day · from $107

Travel from Sydney to Hunter Valley in a small air-conditioned minibus with an English, Portuguese, or Spanish-speaking guide. Visit Sobels Winery plus two rotating estates, taste Semillon and Shiraz, stop at 4 Pines Brewery and Hunter Valley Chocolate Company, and finish with wine, cheese, and valley views among the vines.

“Taking my family along on this journey, the tour guide was excellent at creating a lively atmosphere. Despite being Asians, we were able to fully experience the ambiance, especially during the picnic, which made it an unforgettable experience for our family.”

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10.Wine, Chocolate and Lunch All Inclusive Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 54 reviews · 11 hours · from $130

Spend 11 hours touring the Hunter Valley from central Sydney, with winery access, tastings at Sobels, 4 Pines and Drayton’s, lunch with a drink, Belgian chocolate, village shopping, and a live English-speaking guide. Gabriel has led some departures. Expect a full day with a long drive and a fairly tight schedule.

“It was a good day, your guide Gabriel was excellent. The drive was a bit long , the wineries were nice, lunch was very good.”

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11.Chef-Led Hunter Valley Food & Wine Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 37 reviews · 12 hours · from $196

Chef Jimmy leads a full-day food and wine trip from Sydney, starting with breakfast and sushi making at the Sydney Fish Market. You’ll stop for a hot meal by the Hawkesbury River, visit three Hunter Valley wineries, and enjoy chef-prepared dishes matched with local wines. Pickup, meals, tastings, and transport are included.

“Chef Jimmy tells many interesting facts along the way and serves up delicious food. This was a wonderful day trip. Also enjoyed the smaller boutique wineries and tastings.”

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12.Award-Winning Hunter Valley Wine & Cheese Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 36 reviews · 10 hours · from $166

Travel from central Sydney to Pokolbin in a minivan with up to 13 other adults. You’ll visit 3 or 4 boutique wineries, taste Hunter Valley Semillon, Chardonnay, and Shiraz, sample local cheeses, and enjoy lunch with wine. Guides such as John add friendly wine knowledge, while the old minivan can be a comfort concern.

“The first winery, Sadler’s Creek was excellent, the others were very good. Lunch was well organised and tasty. Timing was very good, we didn’t feel rushed at all.”

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13.From Haymarket: Hunter Valley Wine and Wildlife Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 31 reviews · 1 day · from $88Best value

Travel from Haymarket in a comfortable minibus with Wi-Fi and charging points. Guide Sam leads a small group to an Australian Wildlife Sanctuary for a ranger-led koala experience, then on to Hunter Valley chocolate, cheese, and boutique winery tastings. Wine tasting and lunch are optional extras, and the vineyards are matched to your group’s interests.

“Sam was a great guide for the day, very knowledgeable and happy to answer questions. wines were lovely, would have liked longer at the reptile park but thats my only comment. was a great day out, would recommend”

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