Hospitality students are taught a wide array of subjects. One happens to be beverage appreciation. Therefore, when living at a hospitality school in Australia, one MUST visit the world renowned Hunter Valley wine region in New South Wales.
My dear friend Kasey and I decided to take a day trip tour for my birthday. We booked our trip on Zepher Tours and had an amazing experience. We were able to tour three wineries, a chocolate factory, and a distillery!
The first winery we visited was Iron Gate Winery. The vineyards were drop dead gorgeous, and their Sweet Shiraz was a dream. We were able to try a variety of different wines, and were able to explore the grounds and take some awesome scenery shots. We even got to try chocolate cake with one of the wines - best pairing ever!
I added photos below of the vineyards, tasting room, and garden.
The next winery we traveled to was Sandalyn Estates, and my personal favorite of the trip. This estate was stunning, and we were able to see some Kangaroos! At Sandalyn we were able to try more of the fruitier, sparkling, and dessert wines that I adore. Sandalyn also makes their own infused olive oils and we were able to have a tasting of that as well. The owners were very, very nice to us, and the wines were impeccable. I would 100% go back to this winery!
The next stop was the Hunter Valley Resort for lunch and a wine tasting. By this point we were starving, and had drank a lot of wine - and it was only lunch time. The food was amazing, and the wine was even better. Kasey and I's favorite wine was the Silver Moscato we were able to try. We had a giant wine glass, more wine, and lots of cheese. This stop was definitely bigger and more modern than the others, but still a great time!
The fourth and fifth stops were the distillery and chocolate factory. We were able to try different vodkas and chocolate treats and it was a great change of scenery to cleanse the palette after a long day with numerous glasses of wine. The distillery was the Hunter Distillery in Pokolbin.
All in all, Kasey and I had an AMAZING time and getting to try all the different wines, meeting all the different people, and getting to see all the different landscapes was definitely worth the money. We should have been charged triple what we paid for all the attention, product, and services we received!
We also caught a wonderful sunset on the ride home.
Thanks for all the support
xx Taylor Jean
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