Audrey Wilkinson, Hunter Valley

I enjoyed a most fabulous afternoon at Audrey Wilkinson vineywards in Hunter Valley when on vacation in Australia. I was really excited for a wine tasting and vineyard experience in Australia, and Audrey Wilkinson did not disappoint at all. The cellar is atop rolling hills with vast expanses of old vineyards that offered the most stunning views on the summer afternoon I visited with my family. While I was nervous that my 5 year old nephew traveling with us might be bored, to our delight the cellar was very child friendly, with the hostess offering him a coloring-in book while we enjoyed the tasting. Although we were a bit anxious as the time between the first two wines was quite long, as soon as we brought up the issue with Kaite (if I remember her name right), she immediately took note and we were on schedule from then on. Jared, our guide, had personal insights about the different wines which made the tasting experience enjoyable, and was very accomadating and helpful with our questions. The cheese platter was also generous and served well for our party of fine. We left with 3 different bottles of the wines we enjoyed the most, and enjoyed a lovely stroll around the vineyard afterwards. I highly recommend, and I really look forward to coming back if I ever visit Hunter Valley again!

Aiden took us through an incredible selection of wines, very representative of Hunter Valley. They get fruit from some other regions and also make them into outstanding wines classic for those regions. Their sweet wines are some of the best in Hunter Valley. Highly recommended to visit, especially on a good day like we had when the view is one of the best in the area.

We visited for a wine tasting, having done similar tastings before and coming in with high expectations based on our experiences in South Africa. The view from the venue was absolutely beautiful, although unfortunately we had to sit indoors. The selection of wines offered a good range, and while tastings are always subjective, I would have preferred being offered water to rinse my glass between wines, or even a fresh glass at some point, which would have made the experience smoother. Regarding the host, she was friendly, but her presentation felt very scripted almost as though she was reading directly from a prepared text. We noticed that the table next to us received the exact same descriptions word-for-word, which made the experience feel a bit less personal. She also shared quite strong personal opinions about some of the wines. While I understand that everyone has their own tastes, the comments were a bit too forceful at times and didn’t leave much room for individual interpretation. Overall, the setting was lovely and the staff were pleasant. With a more tailored and neutral presentation, the wine tasting could be even more enjoyable.

We had the most incredible time with our Deluxe Picnic experience. The tour was very informative, with the great history of Audrey. Our tasting with our guide Jarod was delicious, interesting and engaging. Finally, the picnic was very tasty and we came home with several bottles. Highly recommend.

AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING. We had a wine tasting experience and it was great. Collette was very knowledgeable and lovely, she made our experience so memorable. Do not skip on this winery - you will not be disappointed! Not to mention… the view is spectacular.

Great views from this local winery. Warm welcoming Celler door experience. Lots of enthousiasm and down to earth explanations from our waiter Jarrod. Highly recommend! (P.S. could be smart to make reservations. We could still walk in, but another group of people had to wait for an empty table).

Well what a location. Some of the best views. Friendly staff. Great selection of wines. I do feel this place is so unutilised. So much potential here for a restaurant, breakfast, lunch and the dinner views with lights of the valley would be unbelievable. It's a shame it's not fully utilised. Plenty of indoor and outdoor space. A museum plenty of history here. A must visit.

We were very well welcomed by the counselor Brian. My family and I enjoyed the tasting along with the local cheese board, which is paid separately and is definitely worth it to accompany the tasting. Brian was extremely friendly and shared lots of information in a relaxed and fun way. We had a great time and highly recommend this experience!

Very pleasant staff. We enjoyed our friendly server, Hamisch (spelling it wrong, I'm sure!). We ordered the premium wine tasting of 7 of their wines. He gave us an extra tasting of one he thought I'd like better. He was knowledgeable about the grapes used and educated us on the various soils the grapes need. The view from up there is spectacular. Highly recommend.

Robin, our host was excellent!!! The wines were very nice and such a beautiful location. Highly recommend!

Amazing views but the winery itself wasn't to our liking. We did the museum tasting which was a bit expensive and had some wines that felt a little past their prime. While we didn't like the wines, the muscat was a standout.

NOTE: I am not a wine enthusiast so this review might be slightly biased. This vineyard was part of the winery tour that my partner and I signed up for. The estate itself is HUGE and beautiful. (make sure you take some photos!) The cellar door is very spacious, compared to others. The ladies working behind the counter were very friendly and nice. They were knowledgeable about their wines and gave us suggestions on what to try (instead of trying everything on the wine tasting menu because after a while, everything will taste the same!). I have heard from the tour guide that a lot of people have commented that this is one of the BEST wineries in Hunter Valley. Be sure to check out this place (with your camera!) :)

First, the obvious: the view is fantastic, and the grounds pretty good. That's 3*. The tasting experience is sub-par, perhaps because the winery is a victim of its own success. A crowd worthy of a pub on a Friday night pushes to access the two bar counters. The wines covered by the free tasting were forgettable, nothing you can't find elsewhere, the good ones seem to be covered by a $5 surcharge tasting which is not advertised. Service was not enthusiastic: for example, I asked and was denied a try of the ratafia, at which point the customer sipping it explained the surcharge tasting thing, why did it take a customer to let us know? Asking about the wines I was tasting, I was told the semillon was a simple wine, and the shiraz fuller bodied. I was waiting to hear that the sky is blue and grass grows on hills but he was already processing the next batch of tasters. I could not find a list of older vintages or rarer things that might be worth a purchase - maybe one needs to know about that in advance as well? Only three toilets, two unisex and one female. Again the crowd meant a delay. There's a reason for having male toilets, it is possible for more men to be done quicker if you have a urinal, this means shorter queues for everybody. The only other place I know with unisex toilets is McDonald's, and they do it to discourage people from relying on their toilet... If you want to observe the beauty of the Hunter Valley from high up, get through the dirt track and enjoy the view, but skip the stressful experience indoors, or come outside rush hour. If you want to do a tasting with your view, go to Scarborough instead - same setup, but much better service (more interested, at least) and the free tasting has food and the better wines of the house.

Agree with others here - one of the best views in Pokolbin / Hunter Valley area. Wine tasting was busy today - love the history in the gallery and presentation overall. Has the ability to be pretentious, but isn't really. very professional. decent pours - just missed a 20 minute lecture/slideshow about the history of the winery. didn't make a purchase, but that's only because we had to choose carefully due to travel restrictions. good wine- good people - great view. Recommend. Date of Visit: 12/30/14

I always stop here when I'm in the Hunter! Getting to this cellar door is an adventure in its (if your luck you might pass a kangaroo or two). Friday's are usually relatively quite compared to the weekends. The staff here are awesome and very knowledgeable. Grab a bottle or six of the Tempranillo to take home and you won't be unhappy it's devine.

We had a wonderful tasting session here - $5, delicious wine & knowledgeable associates. The building is airy & well suited for a large party. We popped in on a Saturday so it was busy but we only waited about 10mim for the tasting. The biggest appeal of this place - the property - stunning valley views & a big lawn where many people were picnicking. I highly recommend making the stop - pick up some cheese & bread before you go!

Amazing service and incredible knowledge from our server, Ebony. Spent over an hour at our tasting, but learnt so much about the wines we tasted and the varieties in general. The wines themselves were amazing, could not go past a visit here!

The 2010 Lake Shiraz and the 2011 Winemaker's Selection Semillon are the real picks here. The Shiraz (rated 92 pts by James Halliday) is mellow with a fragrant cherry bouquet, and the semillon has the perfect mineral and citrus Hunter Valley finish. The views are superb too. Well worth a visit.

One of the best views in the valley! Be sure to bring your camera to capture some gorgeous photos! :)