New South Wales - Hunter Valley - go for Broke
By Louise Johnson
Catherine Vale Wines
Nestled at the foothills of the Brokenback Range, Broke Fordwich is known as the tranquil side of the Hunter Valley and is home to many boutique winereis, award winning wines, olive groves and restaurants.
Follow Broke Road from Pokolbin and you'll find yourself at the gateway to National Parks and a number of scenic drives, including the Putty Road route back to the Blue Mountains and Western Sydney, which is a day trip in itself.
Stop 1
On the road from Pokolbin you'll find Tyrrell's Wines Ashman's Winery. The Tyrrell family celebrate 150 years of winemaking in the Hunter region in 2008 and it's been a great anniversary year, with some massive win at the 2008 Clear Image Hunter Valley Wine Show. Tyrrell's took out 14 of the 21 trophies awarded including the coveted "best red" and "best white" wines of the show. They open early, seven days, so a good early stop on your way out to Broke.
You'll be greeted at theircellar door by Murray Flanagan who marks his 40th year with Tyrrell's in 2008. Murray is an icon, not only within Tyrrell's but in the Hunter Valley Wine district, and is as much a part of Tyrrell's as the wine.
Open: Monday to Saturday 8.30am to 5pm, Sundays 10am to 4pm. There is a winery tour daily at 1.30pm
Broke Road
Pokolbin NSW 2320
Tel 02 4993 7000
Stop 2
Pickled & Pitted Gourmet Products
An amazing range of olives, oils, cheeses, preserves and other gourmet items are available for tasting and sale. All are prepared locally and with seasonal produce. Make sure you hunt out some of the wonderful olive oil soaps. Pickled & Pitted open Friday to Monday only, but if you're around mid-week call Marion and she will often open up for you to browse.
Open: Friday to Monday 10am to 4.30pm
67 Wollombi St
Broke
Tel 02 6579 1063
Stop 3
Don't make a wager with Gail, one of the owners of Nightingale Wines. The vineyard is the result of a wager between her and husband Paul - one we are sure he is happy to have lost given the success and growth of the business.
This is one of the prettiest vineyard vistas in the area, with a great view of Yellow Rock Escarpment, and it's a great place to stop for lunch and sample wines with your meal.There is accommodation here, so if you ate too much at Pickled & Pitted, save Nightingales for an evening meal and a comfy bed.
Open: Seven days 10am to 4pm.
1239 Milbrodale Road
Broke
Tel (02) 6579 1499
Stop 4
A beautiful cellar door which combines olive products from the property and a fine arts gallery, featuring glassware by Blue Mountains artist Keith Rowe, ceramics by Lyn Hart, timber carvings and paintings by local artist Rebecca Rath, and the resident sandstone sculptor Samuel Re.
Brokes specialise in handcrafting wines from some of the Hunters most renowned varieties, Semillon, Chardonnay, Verdelho, Shiraz and for something a little different a Northern Italian red variety Barbera. Wines are made under contract by Andrew Margan from Margan Family Wines.
Open: weekends from 10am to 5pm
725 Milbrodale Road
Broke
Tel (02) 6579 1165
Stop 5
Something a little different, especially if you're touring on a Sunday and feeling guilty for missing church. Vignerons Bill and Wendy Lawson invite you to enjoy tastings in their unique church tasting rooms. Wines are made from 100% estate grown fruit including Chardonnay, Semillon, Semillon-Chardonnay, Verdelho, Madeira, Dolcetto and Barbera. Ask them to get the bocce set out (similar to boules and petanque) for an afternoon on the lawn.
Open: weekends 10 am to 5pm
656 Milbrodale Road
Broke
Tel (02) 6579 1334
Stop 6
Krinklewood Biodynamic Vineyard
If you've time to squeeze in one more, then make your way to Krinklewood for a truely unique family experience. Every aspect of the vineyard and farm is managed in a holistic and sustainable way. Every member of the Windrim family contributes significantly to the daily operations of the business. This includes everything from designing the labels, working at the cellar door , marketing, PR, vineyard work and making the wine.
More than just a cellar door experience for visitors, Krinklewood is a living example of the importance of Biodynamic viticulture. The Vineyard is Certified Biodynamic and all wines are 100% estate grown. The cellar door is set amongst beautiful Provencal gardens, urns and fountains with the Wollombi Brook and Brokenback Range providing a spectacular backdrop.
You must try:
- Chardonnay - Pale straw in colour, has aromas of stone fruits and citrus, and a fresh lively fruit palate.
- Lucia Dessert Wine - Soft golden straw in colour, with apricots and peaches intermingled fresh citrus peel, this wine is viscous without being overly sweet.
Open: weekends 10am to 5pm and by appointment
712 Wollombi Road
Broke
Tel (02) 6579 1322
Regions
- Upper Hunter Valley (NSW)
- Hunter Valley (NSW)
Our Recommendations
To see our recommendations, ratings and reviews you must be a logged-in subscriber.
To subscribe please enter your email address in the "Subscribe Now - it's Free" box on the right and click the "Join" button, or fill in this form >
In the Hunter Valley the 2017 vintage is all in and the early signs are all excellent. A wet spring in the growing season saw excellent canopy growth and, as it ... a generally better than expected crop load »
Explore the vineyards and cellar doors of the Hunter Valley region.
Learn some Hunter Valley wine production history, climate and wine production information »
With so many vineyards, wineries and wines to choose from, it's difficult to know where to go and what to try. Our top 12 Australian wine regions guide may assist you »
Recently we asked our readers: What is the best Australian wine region for a film setting? With no shortage of ideas for where and what type of movie, some of the ... Baz, we hope you're taking notes. Read on »
Many VisitVineyards.com subscribers are frequent visitors to Australia's fabulous wine and food regions, so who better than to provide some inside info? Here are ... wine touring in NSW (including the Canberra region) and Queensland »
Visitors have been heading to Hunter Valley vineyards since the late 1840s. Back then, the valley's wineries and vineyards lined the dusty road that stretched from ... most famous wine regions, just two hours' drive north of Sydney »
Catherine Vale Wines vineyard is located between Broke and Bulga in the Broke Fordwich wine region of the Lower Hunter Valley of New South Wales. read more
Nightingale WinesEnjoy the relaxed ambience of wine country at one of the Hunter Valley's prettiest vineyards. Here, your wine-tasting experience will be enhanced by the breathtaking ... read more
Krinklewood Biodynamic Vineyard (Hunter Valley)Krinklewood Vineyards owners Rod & Suzanne Windrim first planted wine grapes in 1981 in the Hunter Valley. In 1997 the vineyard size was increased to 48 acres on ... read more
Pickled & Pitted Gourmet ProductsTyrrell's Vineyards - Ashmans WineryThe best of Tyrrell's Hunter (NSW) wines are produced from these vineyards in the heart of the Lower Hunter Valley, near the winery. To discover 150 years of winemaking ... read more
Take a journey with Max Allen through the wine making region of the Hunter Valley, NSW, brought to you by Wine Australia. A look at the region; the stories, the ... and most importantly, the wine.
Visiting vineyards? You think you'll remember all those wines, but guess what? You probably won't. So we've created a wine tasting template to fill in easily, to keep track of all your favourite (and not so favourite) wines. 
This book celebrates community cookbooks, the ones put together to raise money for a cause, a group or just to show off what the local cooks could dish up at home. Many of these books were simply printed and then stapled or spiral bound but they all tell stories of their time and the local characters. Enter now and you could 
Friend us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Find us on Pinterest
Join us on Google+