In recent years,  award winning, full-flavored Australian wines have been exported all over the world as a hot commodity. It’s time for a little day trip out into the picturesque countryside to sample some aussie wines not available elsewhere.

The Hunter Valley is a 2 hour drive north of Sydney and claims to have about 90 wineries within the region. It is Sydney’s equivalent of San Francisco’s Napa Valley.

The Hunter Valley Wine School has a 2 hour wine experience at its on site winery program showcasing how wine is produced from grapevine to bottle. The tour portion tales you from the Shiraz vineyards to the crushers and fermenters and finally to the tasting cellar.

The cellar master discusses the qualities of a good wine as you proceed through tastings of Chardonnay, Shiraz and Semillion wines this region is known for. Of course, you will have an opportunity to ask questions and also to buy some to take with you.

There is also a Hunter Valley Cooking School program that concludes with  a leisurely gourmet lunch – complete with wine parings, of course!

Before we start back, we’ll swing by a local cheeserie and a chocolatier for some goodies for the trip back. I’ll let you discover those delicious details for yourself.