FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Premium tours to the Hunter Valley
Before the tour
There is a maximum of 11 people on our Gourmet Wine Tour. Our private tours can accommodate groups up to 20 people.
Yes, we can pick you up from Sydney for a full day exclusive tour.
Our Gourmet Tour is a door to door service picking up from and returning to the Lower Hunter (Pokolbin, Rothbury, Lovedale, Mount View and Cessnock), Quorrobolong, Kurri Kurri, Morisset and The Central Coast. Our Private Tour will also pick up from Broke, Wollombi, Maitland, Singleton and Newcastle. Our exclusive group tours can pick up from Sydney.
We drive modern Toyota Commuter mini buses for our Private Wine Tours. These vehicles are air conditioned with tinted windows to keep you and your purchases cool. Our bigger 20 passenger Toyota Coaster is used for larger private tours and also has tinted windows and air conditioning.
diVine tours is a fully accredited tour company. This means you can feel comfortable knowing our buses are strictly maintained and fully insured.
Should we have to cancel a tour due to unforeseen circumstances, we will fully refund affected customers.
Absolutely! Our Private Tour option can cater for the whole family.
It is common now for cellar doors to charge tasting fees. Any tasting fees on our private tours will be outlined prior to booking.
Alcohol consumption is not permitted on our buses.
Yes! You can design a tour of your choice or we can put together a fully customised itinerary for you. No two tours are the same!
Our private tour can be used as a half-day option. Our rates include up to 7 hours of travel from pickup to return.
Yes. The restaurants we visit have vegetarian and gluten-free options and can alter dishes to suit allergies. Please let us know when making your booking.
During the tour
They’re more susceptible to disease than the grape vines. If the roses are healthy, then the vineyard should be too.
Some wines are made to drink within a few years and others will cellar for decades. Wines will gradually change over time and whether it’s ‘better’ is a matter of personal preference.
It’s hard to have a favourite when there’s so many great producers in the Hunter Valley. Of the 150+ cellar doors I have a blog post on some of my favourite boutique wine producers.
The Hunter Valley is the first wine region in the Australia to harvest. Most grapes are picked in January and February depending on the variety and style of wine that will be made. It’s usually begins with grapes used for sparking wines first, then white table wines followed by red wines and dessert wines last.
diVine tours is a fully accredited tour company (accreditation number 33370). This means you can feel comfortable knowing our buses are strictly maintained and fully insured.
There’s a 99% chance of seeing kangaroos during the cooler months. During the hot, sunny days, the kangaroos are usually resting in the shade and are quite camouflaged. Head to the golf courses to find them year round.
There are wine regions that focus on quality and others that focus on quantity. Harvesting averages can range from less than 1 ton per acre to 20 tons. The less fruit on the vines the better the quality and fewer number of bottles. It takes about 1kg of grapes to make one bottle. The Hunter Valley is a premium wine growing area that averages 2 to 3 tons per acre. This equates to 1 to 2 bottles per vine.
Our Gourmet Wine Tour visits 4 to 5 cellar doors averaging 7 to 8 wines at each venue. The carefully planned itinerary includes a sobering activity between each to give your palate a rest. There is a glass of wine or beer included at lunch as well.
Old vines produce less, more intense fruit and therefore have the potential to make better wines. I remember hearing a winemaker say ‘vines are old because they are good and not good because they are old.’ Would persist with a vineyard year after year if it didn’t make good wine?
These days they’re both pretty good. During the early 2000’s, there were many issues with cork quality. The problems were with cork taint (TCA) and random oxidation. Countries like New Zealand and Australia started moving towards other closure alternatives like the Stelvin cap (screw cap). Since then the cork industry has tighten regulations and cork quality has improved dramatically.
Yes, no and not sure yet. The Hunter Valley is a big region geographically. Vineyards that were close to the fires may have problems with smoke taint.
There are many great restaurants in the region. For that special occasion, it’s hard to beat Bistro Molines in Mount View. French cuisine at it’s best, friendly service and a jaw-dropping view over a valley of vines.
