If you’re looking for one of the most spectacular views and most diverse wine tasting experiences available, then Audrey Wilkinson Hunter Valley is the way to go. Audrey Wilkinson wines have a reputation for featuring flavorful bouquets that are characteristic of the hunter valley region.
Nestled at the foot of the Brokenback Mountain Ranges, the Audrey Wilkinson Vineyard is a fan favourite as far as wine tasting is concerned, as it features one of the most visited cellar doors in all of the country.
The passionate cellar door staff make visitors feel welcome and ensure they leave with memorable experiences.
If you’re looking to make some unforgettable memories, and you want to learn a thing or two about the Australian wine making industry by visiting an amazing wine making museum, then Audrey Wilkinson is worth the visit.
Address: 750 De Beyers Rd, Pokolbin NSW 2320, Australia
Website: https://audreywilkinson.com.au/
Contact Details:
Phone: +61 2 4998 1866
For further inquiries, you can also visit their Contact Us page on their website.
Table of Contents
- Wine Tasting Experiences at Audrey Wilkinson – The Cellar Door
- Standard Experience
- Premium Experience
- Heritage Cellar Experience
- Wine Club Members Experience
- Sparkling Brunch in the Vines
- Sweet Indulgence Experience
- Fortified and Fromage Experience
- Picnic Among the Vines
- Premium Picnic Among the Vines
- Wine and Wildlife Hunter Valley Experience (with the Hunter Valley Wildlife Park)
- Icons of the Hunter Valley - History, Lunch, Fromage experience
- Accommodation at Audrey Wilkinson
- How to Get to Audrey Wilkinson
- The Origins of the Audrey Wilkinson Winery
- Final Thoughts on the Audrey Wilkinson Winery
Wine Tasting Experiences at Audrey Wilkinson – The Cellar Door
The really great part about the cellar door at Audrey Wilkinson is the fact that there are several diverse wine tastings available. In fact, there are currently over 10 different wine tasting experiences available, so let’s take a quick look at each of them.
Standard Experience
The standard experience gives you just a bit of a taste of the various wines available at this location, while also providing you with a bit of a history lesson about the winery itself. This is a 45-minute-long tasting, and it starts at $15 per person.
Premium Experience
The premium experience provides you with a 45-minute-long wine tasting journey starting at $20 per person. This will allow you to taste a number of premium wines from the Audrey Wilkinson winery, along with a knowledgeable host who will guide you through the best wines of the day.
Heritage Cellar Experience
The heritage cellar experience lasts for approximately 60 minutes and starts at $30 per person. This is a reserve wine tasting along with a knowledgeable host who will guide you through all of the aged wines that are otherwise not available for tasting, along with a quick trip through the winemaking museum. You'll also get to compare these premium and exclusive wines to the regular varietals.
Wine Club Members Experience
As the name implies, this wine tasting is for wine club members only. This is a 60-minute wine tasting that is available for all members free of cost. Here, you'll get to taste a tailored selection of heritage and premium wines.
Sparkling Brunch in the Vines
For something a bit more unforgettable and romantic, experience a sparkling brunch in the vines. Consider including a cheese tasting as part of the brunch experience to enjoy gourmet food pairings. Here, you and your guests get to sit in the rolling hills of hunter valley as you experience an excellent blend of brunch and sparkling wine. This is a 60-minute-long experience that starts at $75 per person. The experience includes a shared brunch board as well as a take-home bottle of wine.
Sweet Indulgence Experience
The sweet indulgence experience takes you to the cellar door where you get to enjoy a glass of sparkling wine, followed by 6 different dessert style wines that are perfectly matched with handmade hunter valley artisan chocolates. You get to experience 360° views while immersing yourself in the unique history that is Audrey Wilkinson.
Fortified and Fromage Experience
If you’re someone who enjoys a bit of wine and cheese, then this fortified and fromage experience is right for you. This is a 60-minute experience that starts at $75 per person. Here, you’ll be guided by an in-house wine expert, with the wine tasting taking place in the museum space. You’ll get to sample a range of premium wines along with three fortified wines that are currently maturing, all of which are paired with locally sourced cheeses. You’ll also get to take home a bottle of fortified wine.
Picnic Among the Vines
For a bit of a romantic experience, try the picnic among the vines, where you get to go on a self-guided tour of the onsite museum. This is followed by a master class, as well as a premium wine tasting from an in-house expert. You can then collect a bottle of handpicked wine along with your individual picnic hamper and then select one of the locations on the 270 acre property to enjoy a picnic among the vines. This experience is available for up to 10 people, it lasts roughly 90 minutes, and costs $90.00 per person.
Premium Picnic Among the Vines
If you're looking to take things up a notch, then take the premium picnic among the vines, which lasts for two hours and costs $250 per person. Here, you also get to go on a self-guided tour of the museum, you take a master class in winemaking, and get to take part in a premium wine tasting. You'll then get to enjoy a picnic at a preset picnic site, complete with many different comforts, beautiful flowers, a boxed bottle of wine signed by the winemaker himself, chocolates, and more.
Wine and Wildlife Hunter Valley Experience (with the Hunter Valley Wildlife Park)
What we have here is a neat joint venture that starts at the Audrey Wilkinson vineyard where you get to taste various premium wines for about an hour, starting at $80.00 per person. At the end of the wine tasting, which is also complemented by a variety of local cheeses, you'll get a ticket to the Hunter Valley Wildlife Park, so you can see some of the world's most endangered animals up close.
Icons of the Hunter Valley - History, Lunch, Fromage experience
The most premium experience of all, here you get to enjoy three separate vineyards, Audrey Wilkinson, Brokenwood, and Tyrrells. They team up to provide you with one of the best wine tasting experiences in the Hunter Valley Region.
It starts at Tyrrells for a VIP premium tasting experience as you enjoy some of this vineyards most popular wines. You'll then travel to Brokenwood, where you'll get to taste six different wines that are matched with seasonal canapes, and it ends with the fortified and fromage experience at Audrey Wilkinson. You'll spend roughly two hours at each location, and the cost starts at $300.00 per person.
Accommodation at Audrey Wilkinson
Although Audrey Wilkinson may not have any on site restaurants, there are three guest cottages available for people to stay at.
Mulberry Cottage
The Mulberry Cottage is a large spacious country house that features four queen size bedrooms, all with their own en suite. This is great for whole families or for up to four couples. This house features an open plan design with large dining and living areas, a large kitchen, separate bathroom and guest toilets, and an open fireplace.
The Dairy
The Dairy Used to be a dairy, but has since been converted into a two-bedroom cottage. It has its own private garden and is extremely charming. It's recently been renovated, it has a wood burning fireplace, a full bathroom and kitchen, and spacious outdoor and indoor areas.
Oakdale Cottage
The Oakdale Cottage is a guest house with three bedrooms, ideal for up to six adults. Each queen bedroom has its own bathroom as well as air conditioning and more. The cottage comes complete with an open fireplace, a fully equipped kitchen, an outdoor wrap-around veranda with dining settings and a BBQ, as well as two indoor living areas.
How to Get to Audrey Wilkinson
If you're looking to get to Audrey Wilkinson, and you happen to be in Sydney, it's about 160-kilometer drive from Sydney along the M1. Depending on the day, it can take around two hours to get there. Of course, driving is one of the best ways to get there if privacy is what you're going for.
Of course, there are also several tour providers that embark out of Sydney and take you to hunter valley for the day, which is great if you like being around other people. However, if what you're going for is the most exclusive experience possible, then a private helicopter tour to Audrey Wilkinson is the way to go.
In fact, Rotor One offers a special winery proposal at Audrey Wilkinson package, where you and your loved one get to take an exclusive helicopter ride from Sydney to Audrey Wilkinson, all the while seeing the spectacular view from above. Once you arrive, you'll be escorted to a private location that has been set up especially for your proposal, complete with a picnic hamper, wine, and more.
The Origins of the Audrey Wilkinson Winery
For anybody who is interested in the history of the Audrey Wilkinson vineyard, the Wilkinson family first bought the original vineyard in 1886. The Wilkinson family actually developed a variety of cutting-edge technology for wine making, such as cement fermenters and steam powered crushers.
In 1962, Audrey Wilkinson died at the age of 85, and then finally in 2004, the Audrey Wilkinson vineyard was purchased by the Agnew family. In 2006, the Museum Semillon was the most awarded wine, with 20 Gold awards and 12 trophies.
Final Thoughts on the Audrey Wilkinson Winery
If you're looking for an unforgettable wine tasting experience and views to match, then there's no better place to be than the Audrey Wilkinson winery. Remember, there are many ways to get there, although taking a private helicopter flight to Hunter Valley might just be your best bet.
