Hunter Valley is a center of New South Wales vineyard. Located in heart of Hunter, Pokolbin village is an epicenter of various activities in Hunter. Whenever you visit Pokolbin, you are forgiven for thinking that viticulture has been lifeblood of this region, but that is not quite a case. Sources give two families credit in establishing valley’s first ever vineyard. Some say that Drayton family planted its first vines in the village of Pokolbin in the year 1830. Some give credit to Wilkinson family just two years before, in the year 1828. No matter whether it was Drayton’s or Wilkinson’s, one thing is for sure that vines are growing in this area from a very long time.
Discover the Range
With big wineries, there are many thriving Pokolbin Estate Wines are located here and surrounding area. The real pleasures to tour this region is discovering the lesser known winery & sampling their ranges.
Hunter Valley is known best for the traditional Shiraz and Semillon wines, however, today many different varieties are found, including Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and some Pinot Noir. The mountain ranges on 3 sides of this Valley help to protect this from harshest weather conditions, whereas Tasman Sea breezes generally help to keep the heat of summer down. But, extreme heat and frosts provides challenges to the vintners.
Upcoming Industry
This comes as surprise to a lot of newcomers while learning that Pokolbin area hasn’t been known for the wines. For years, mining was a principle industry in this area. After most of these mines were totally closed down in sixties, the wine making came up as a primary local industry. Till then, vines had matured as well as vintners were all set to make their own mark in this world.
Even sixties, was when people of Australia started to appreciate quality of their home produced wines. And Hunter Valley, being very close to Sydney, also became the magnet for wine lovers in Sydney and tourist industry around Pokolbin started to boom. Over many years, attractions and amenities for the visitors were developed, which includes golf clubs, art galleries, resorts, restaurants as well as many other attractions. Still wine is what attracts most of the visitors; however, Hunter is becoming more and more popular for some other reasons too.
Conclusion
Thus, finding the Pokolbin accommodation won’t be very difficult, as there are many to select from. The biggest challenge lies to decide where you wish to stay. There’s something for each lifestyle and budget. Even though it is very close to Sydney for making a day tour, you may miss out on so much if you do not spend one night there, thus make sure you give yourself two days.
