Hunter Valley Wine Tour at Christmas: Cellar Doors, Lunch and Getting There

Planning cellar doors over Christmas

The Hunter is Australia's oldest wine region and is best known for Semillon and Shiraz, so a tasting day here suits both keen wine lovers and first-timers. Most visitors comfortably fit in three or four cellar doors plus lunch. Any more and the day starts to feel rushed.

December and January are peak season. Many popular cellar doors now ask you to book a tasting, and some sell out weekends well in advance, so lock in your bookings as soon as you've picked a date. A weekday is usually easier than a Saturday.

Christmas week needs extra care. Many wineries, restaurants and attractions close on Christmas Day, and some also close on Boxing Day. Opening hours often change between Christmas and New Year's Day, so check each venue's website or call before you set out, rather than relying on standard hours.

Lunch in the vines and a simple day plan

A long lunch is half the appeal of a Hunter day. Winery restaurants and cafés around Pokolbin and Broke Road get busy in the holidays, so book your table at the same time as your tastings.

A relaxed outline that works for most groups:

• 7:30–8 am: leave Sydney to beat the holiday traffic on the M1.
• 10 am: first cellar door as doors open.
• 11:30 am: second tasting, or a cheese, chocolate or olive stop.
• 1 pm: lunch among the vines.
• 3 pm: one or two final tastings.
• 4:30–5 pm: head home, or stay on for the Christmas lights.

Summer days can be hot, so bring a hat and water and pace the tastings. Spitting is perfectly acceptable at any cellar door.

Adding the Christmas Lights Spectacular

Hunter Valley Gardens at 2090 Broke Road, Pokolbin, hosts what it bills as Australia's biggest Christmas lights display. The 2026–27 season runs from Friday 30 October 2026 to Sunday 31 January 2027 and is closed on 25 December.

• Lights: 5:30 pm to 10:30 pm, last entry 9:30 pm.
• Rides: 6 pm to 10 pm, last ride 9:45 pm.
• Gardens by day: 9 am to 4:30 pm, last entry 3:30 pm.

Everyone must leave the Gardens between 4:30 pm and 5:30 pm, even with a Day/Night ticket. That gap fits neatly after your last tasting: have an early dinner nearby, then walk in when the lights open. Check current ticket options on the Hunter Valley Gardens website before you go.

The catch is the drive home. Leaving at 9 or 10 pm puts you back in Sydney close to midnight, after a full day of wine. That's where a chauffeur makes the evening far more enjoyable, especially with children asleep in the back.

Getting there: self-drive, coach or private tour?

By car, take the M1 north from Sydney, turn off at the Cessnock/Vineyards exit and follow the signs through Cessnock to Pokolbin. It's roughly two hours each way, longer in holiday traffic. The big drawback of driving yourself is that someone has to stay under the limit all day. NSW police run random breath testing year-round, and the holiday period is a key enforcement time.

Group coach tours avoid the driving but follow a fixed list of wineries and a set timetable. A private Hunter Valley wine tour gives you your own chauffeur and your own schedule. You choose the cellar doors, lunch spot and finish time, including staying on for the lights. We run sedans through to 11-seat Maxi vans, so it suits couples, families and office Christmas groups. Baby and child seats are available on request for A$10 each. See all our Christmas and New Year tours from Sydney, or call 0434 663 034. We're available 24/7.

Frequently asked questions