Easter Sunday At Lovedale (Hunter Valley) | Australia

From both of us here in Sydney, we would like to wish you all a safe and happy Easter. We’d love to hear what you got up to this weekend, so comment or share a photo below.

We have a four (4) day long weekend here in Australia and usually, many will take advantage of any public holiday by getting out of the city – including us.

Moe and I decided to take a day trip two hours north of Sydney to wine country New South Wales (NSW): Hunter Valley. This time, however, we decided to stay away from touristy Pokolbin and opted for Lovedale.

Lovedale is one of five wine making regions in Hunter Valley, NSW Australia

Lovedale is one of the five main regions of what is known as Hunter Valley Wine Country. Whilst still attracting a healthy number of tourists, as a first timer to this region, I found Lovedale to be more relaxing and cellar door staff were more personable, who took their time explaining their wine offerings. If you love boutique wines, Lovedale is a place to add to your itinerary.

I’m not going to recommend any specific wines as everyone’s palate is different. Out of the three (cellar door) vineyards we visited, our pick of the day is Gartelmann Winery. We especially loved their award-winning 2012 Petit Verdot and 2014 Sarah Elizabeth Chardonnay. A special shout-out to Robyn who was very helpful and provided really good recommendations around the Lovedale area. Robyn if you’re reading this, we couldn’t find any last minute accommodation.

Gartelmann Wines

Savannah Estate was our second stop. I had to fight the urge to say ‘Savannah’ in a southern accent! It was a brief stopover for us as there was a fairly large group in there.

Savannah Estate

The weather also started to let up which made the next stop a perfect lunch stop.

Emma’s Cottage Vineyard was a surprise find. Not many vineyards in Australia offer the famous Eiswein – a must try here at Emma’s. However, the stand-out for us was their exquisite lunch menu at their onsite restaurant, Emma’s of Lovedale (Tip#1: Book a table outside). Their Bavarian Pan (aged scotch fillet) was absolutely delectable. We were looking forward to tasting their famous Crepes Suzette flambéed at the table, however, it wasn’t on the lunch menu (Tip#2: This is only served during dinner service so make sure you book a table). The staff here were so attentive and a shout-out goes out to Terese at the cellar door who gave us an in-depth background on winemaker David Hook’s specialty wines.

Entree: Seared sea scallops with grilled chorizo, prosciutto crumb and a saffron lemon jelly | Main: Bavarian Pan –
Aged scotch fillet, sliced and coated with a milder mustard, cream and herb sauce accompanied by “Bratkartoffeln” (pan fried potatoes with speck and diced onion) | Wines: 2014 Emma’s Cottage Rose & 2010 Emma’s Cottage Shiraz

…and finally a quick caffeine fix at Emerson’s Cafe & Restaurant before the drive back home. Plus, what’s Easter without a chocolate fix to boot!

Emerson’s Cafe & Restaurant at Adina Wines | Chocolate delice, doughnut, crumble and house made chocolate ice cream

UPCOMING EVENT: Lovedale Long Lunch | 16-17 May 2015

For more information, click here.