Located in the serene Hunter Valley, the Leogate Estate Winery is a popular destination for wine tourism, offering wine tastings, fine-dining, and beautiful sights.
Thanks to its fantastic selection of Brokenback wines, its excellent meals from the acclaimed The Gates Restaurant, and fantastic wine tasting options, it has quickly become a destination of choice for Australian locals and tourists alike.
This comprehensive guide of Leogate estate winery will provide you with its history, how to get there, and the best wine experiences, dining, accommodations, and more.
Here's what you can expect:
- Leogate Estate Winery Contact Information
- Origins of Leogate Estate Wines
- Wine Tasting Experiences at Leogate Winery
- Dining at Leogate Estate
- Accommodation at Leogate Estate
- Hosting a Function at Leogate Estate
- Location and How to Get to Leogate Estate
Leogate Estate Winery Contact Information
Name: Leogate Estate
Winery Address: 1693 Broke Road, Pokolbin, NSW 2320, Australia
Website URL: Leogate Estate Winery
Phone: +61 2 4998 7499
Email: sales@leogate.com.au
For further inquiries, you can also visit their Contact Us page on their website
Origins of Leogate Estate Wines
Worth noting is that Leogate Estate is known as being a sustainable estate that is located right at the foot of the Brokenback Ranges. Being sustainable and practicing sustainable viticulture is highly important in today’s world where resources are becoming scarcer, and the climate is affecting more people in a very negative way. Running a sustainable operation speaks to those who enjoy fine wines while keeping the world around them in mind.
The Brokenback Vineyard Was first planted in the 1960s by Leo Evans, often regarded as one of the founding fathers of the modern Australian wine industry. Under his leadership, the vineyard flourished.
It was then bought by Bill and Vicki Widin in 2008, Who used their experience and knowledge of the land, along with senior winemaker Mark Woods, to build a highly successful wine brand and reinvigorate the property.
Since taking over, Bill and Vicky have established a cellar door, winery, restaurant, and a function center that hosts weddings and so much more. They even outfitted the estate with 20 luxury villas that guests can stay at.
Bill and Vicky have also purchased two additional Vineyards to provide their guests with the best possible wine options. These include the Blackcluster Vineyard purchased in 2020, and Zeal’s Vineyard, which was purchased in 2016 and is known for using some highly eco-friendly practices to grow wine grapes and produce delicious yet sustainable wines.
Leogate Estate has won a variety of awards, including the 2015 NSW Regional Wedding Caterer of the Year and the 2015 NSW Caterer of the Year, two consecutive Australian Good Food Guide Chef Hats, and an award for “the best restaurant in a winery” in the NSW and ACT Restaurant and Catering Association’s Hostplus Awards for Excellence 2020.
Leogate also received a red five-star winery rating for the ninth consecutive year by James Halliday’s 2020 Australian Wine Companion.
Wine Tasting Experiences at Leogate Winery
Leogate Estate features a cellar door, complete with a friendly yet knowledgeable cellar door team, where you get to enjoy a number of wine tasting events.
The Brokenback Tasting Experience
At the cellar door, you can enjoy the Brokenback Tasting Experience, where a friendly team member will guide you through the history of the estate and provide wine education as you taste premium estate wines. You’ll get to taste a wide variety of famous Brokenback wines for just $10 per person.
Antipasto Tasting Plate with Seven Selected Wines
If a basic wine tasting isn’t enough for you, you can also enjoy an Antipasto tasting plate served with seven selected wines, offering a perfect food and wine pairing experience. Here, you get to taste a variety of fantastic wines which are wisely paired with some delicious canapes from the award-winning on-site restaurant, The Gates. The price of the Antipasto tasting plate with seven wines is $45 per person.
For those wondering what canapes are including in this package, they are as follows (these may change based on current availability):
- Goat’s Cheese Crostini
- Bathed Olives with Grissini
- Salami, Cured Ham & Fruit
- Marinated Peppers with Feta Cheese
- Ocean Trout Gravlax, Horseradish Potato
- Arancini with Melanzane Marinara, Parmesan
- Farmyard Pate with Pickles, Fig & Hibiscus Chutney
Leogate Estate Wine Club
Leogate Estate Wines features ‘The Patron’s Table’, an exclusive wine club that does not require any annual membership or joining fee, yet offers you a 30% discount on cellar door prices for all wines purchased. You’ll also get a personal selection of 12 bottles of premium wine delivered to your door twice per year along with free shipping. You’ll also get invitations to members-only events, part of the modern Australian wine industry.
For those looking to start a bit smaller, there is also “The Lion’s Den” club, which also does not have any fees, and provides you with a 15% discount on RRP for all wines purchased on site, along with the personal selection of 6 bottles of premium wines delivered to your door twice per year.
Dining at Leogate Estate
Leogate Estate features a fine dining restaurant known as “The Gates”, offering a remarkable culinary experience with all menus thoughtfully crafted and prepared by the head chef using only certified organic ingredients, which are then elegantly served in a fine dining style by the professional and friendly staff.
Enjoy an intimate evening with a loved one in a sophisticated dining room or have an alfresco lunch with your favourite friends.
One of the most notable things you’ll find at this restaurant is the dry-aged steak, some of the best in the country by all accounts. The Gates Restaurant was awarded the Australian Good Food Guide Chef Hat for a second consecutive year in 2023.
The restaurant features both two and three-course meals for $95 or $110 respectively, with amazing choices such as Sydney rock oysters, side Stilton cheese souffle, dry aged steak tartare, escargot, smoked salmon ravioli, Berkshire pork loin chop, market fish of the day, a plethora of steaks, decadent desserts, and so much more.
There is also an outdoor courtyard menu available from 11AM to 5PM, with a variety of canapes and mouth-watering light meals to enjoy in the sun along with your favorite Leogate wines.
The Degustation Menu
For those who want to enjoy a full five-course degustation fine dining menu, Leogate offers the perfect gourmet dining option. This five-course meal costs $135 and features a tempura squash blossom appetizer, dry-aged steak tartare, smoked salmon ravioli, black Onyx cheek braised in one of Leogate’s best wines, and a rhubarb apple and berry crumble for dessert. You can then pair a range of Brokenback wines for an additional $65 or Reserve wines for $85.
Accommodation at Leogate Estate
Leogate Estate Villas provide guests with luxury accommodation and a relaxing and luxurious getaway in wine country. The estate currently features 20 luxury villas that feature a fantastic view of the Brokenback Vineyard. It’s located right in the middle of the estate, providing guests with central access to all of the facility’s amenities.
Each of the villas is as distinctive and unique as the estate wines, with each one being elegantly decorated. With a large master ensuite, a proportion bedroom, and a spacious veranda, it makes for a perfect stay.
These villas also overlook a small lake. Guests can choose a one-bedroom private villa from $250 per night during the week and $480 per night on the weekends. There is also a two-bedroom private villa available from $480 during the week and from $850 on the weekends.
Stays come with complimentary breakfast in the morning, a coffee pod machine, a premium mini bar, a luxurious king size bed, a spacious lounge room with a separate bed, an on suite with shower and towel rack, a kitchenette, an outdoor area, and much more.
Hosting a Function at Leogate Estate
For those wishing to host a function at Leogate, it’s one of the best event venues to have a wedding. Here you’ll get fantastic views of the Brokenback ranges right at the Crystal Room, along with award-winning premium estate wines, dry aged beef, and so much more.
There are various sites to have a wedding ceremony on the estate, afterwards you and up to 90 guests can enjoy a pre reception with canapes and drinks, followed by a full reception including a variety of two and three course menus, along with a variety of wine and beverage packages.
Location and How to Get to Leogate Estate
The Leogate Estate Winery is located at the foot of the Brokenback Ranges, nestled in the heart of the ever-popular Hunter Valley wine region, known for its plethora of wineries, fine-dining restaurants, and sights that attract tourists and locals from far and wide.
Leogate Estate is located roughly two hours outside of Sydney, Australia, which means that it does require some time to get there if you live in the city. Although, luckily for anyone who wants to enjoy some fine dining and wining, there are several ways to get to Leogate Estate, including the following:
Car
It is possible to drive to the winery and restaurant by taking the M1 from Sydney, enjoying a scenic drive that should take no more than two hours to reach Leogate Winery.
Bus Tours
Interesting to note is that there are many guided wine tours available from Sydney and other nearby locations that visit Leogate Estate.
These are guided tours where you get to enjoy the marvellous sights, smells, and tastes of Leogate’s wines and foods for the day, all without having to worry about having drank too much and having to drive home afterwards!
These guided bus group tours provide you with the perfect atmosphere to enjoy everything that Leogate has to offer with a group of likeminded people.
Helicopter Tour
If traveling by land doesn't sound quite right to you, you might want to try taking a helicopter tour to Leogate Estate. Rotor One features a comprehensive helicopter tour that will take you and your companions to Leogate Estate for a truly unforgettable experience.
Catering for couples right through to groups of up to 30 people, the private helicopter flight starts at Sydney airport and takes roughly 45 minutes to get to Leogate Estate. Having a bird's eye view of the spectacular Hunter Valley and the surrounding area makes for the perfect start to your journey. The flight allows you to see some of Sydney's best landmarks and provides you with some great photo opportunities as well.
Being able to see Australian nature at its finest from a high vantage point is a great way to prelude a two-hour tour of the winery, along with an intimate wine tasting and a three-course lunch.
Conclusion
When all has been said and done, the Leogate Winery is a prime location for wine lovers who want to enjoy a combination of flavorful and rich wines, fine dining, and luxurious amenities. Take a helicopter tour with your loved ones for a relaxing getaway courtesy of Rotor One.
Fly over all of the biggest landmarks in Sydney before arriving at Leogate, where you get to enjoy a private wine tasting and three-course meal. If a sky-bound adventure full of beautiful sights and tantalising flavours sounds like a good time to you, then Rotor One’s Leogate Estate Helicopter Tour is worth trying at least once!
