Looking for a fun and unique way to escape the fast pace of city life? Consider a wine-tasting tour in Mudgee, one of Australia’s premier wine regions.
Located just a few hours from Sydney, Mudgee offers visitors a chance to explore its many wineries and taste some of the finest wines the region has to offer.
The 10 Best Mudgee Cellar Doors
I have had the pleasure of visiting many of the region’s cellar doors. I have selected my top 10 picks for wineries to visit in Mudgee, with links to book your tasting experience through Door Explorer. Each winery offers its own unique atmosphere, from stunning views to expertly crafted wines.
So, grab a group of friends or plan a romantic getaway, and get ready to discover the best of Mudgee’s wine scene. Trust me, your taste buds will thank you.
Here are my top 10 picks for the best wineries in Mudgee for wine tasting:
- Lowe Wines – for beautiful views, great wine & a cheese board.
- Logan – a modern cellar door, with great views over their vineyard
- Robert Stein – great wine, panoramic views
- Pieter Van Gent – old-school Mudgee wine, visit for their fortified’s & port
- Yeates – sit outside, enjoy the Riesling & Shiraz
- Burnbrae – picturesque, sit on the lawn, enjoy some food
- Bunnamagoo – a wide range, large venue
- De Beaurepaire – French-style wines, small venue
- First Ridge – Italian style wines, beautiful views
- Petersons – A must-visit if you love big reds. This is the Mudgee home of this Hunter Valley staple.
How do you get around Mudgee wineries?
A common question I get is how to get between wineries in Mudgee. As a region, it’s not as large or spread out as somewhere like the Hunter Valley, but there still aren’t great public transport links between wineries. So you really have a few options;
- Drive yourself – scissors, paper, rock; for a designated driver (see tips below).
- Find a private driver – look online, I’ve had great success on AirTasker.
- Get a taxi – be prepared to wait, book in advance. Uber is unreliable.
- Walk – you’re limiting your choices, but some wineries are walking distance.
I personally can’t recommend booking a wine tour with a pre-set itinerary, especially on a large tourist bus. You’ll end up at the most commercial vineyards, simply because the tour company is earning a commission. Instead, find a private driver and choose your own adventure.
Do you need a car in Mudgee?
The short answer is yes- I typically drive and swap driving responsibilities with someone else between days. It’s the cheapest/most flexible option, and you can still taste quite a few wines over a day and stay under the limit— remember small sips.
That said, I do have a few tips for the designated driver;
- Let the wineries know who the driver is, often they won’t charge a tasting fee for that person as they’ll be tasting less wine (and the rest of the group wouldn’t be there without them).
- Be selective with what you taste. When you have to hold back, not everything is worth tasting— “I’m driving, but I’d love to taste your Chardonnay and anything else you’d recommend.”
- Split your tastings over two days and alternate the driving responsibilities between days. There’s plenty of great wine to go around.
- Use the spittoon— you can get most of the flavour from swilling the wine around your mouth and then spitting it out. Sommeliers and professional wine tasters do this to avoid getting drunk, you can do the same!
What Wine is Mudgee best known for?
The region’s warm climate and diverse soils make it ideal for growing a range of grape varieties, resulting in a diverse selection of high-quality wines.
Mudgee is best known for producing a variety of wine styles, including Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Semillon.
- Shiraz – rich, full-bodied, and fruit-forward styles of Shiraz, with spicy and berry flavours and good acidity, making it a balanced and satisfying wine.
- Cabernet Sauvignon – deep color, rich and full-bodied flavour profile, strong tannin structure, and high complexity, with bright fruit flavours of blackcurrant and blackberry.
- Chardonnay – a rich and complex flavour profile, with crisp acidity and full body, intense fruit flavours of citrus, apple, and stone fruit, and a balanced oak influence.
- Semillon – a bright, citrusy white wine with crisp acidity and good aging potential, known for its ability to develop complex flavours over time, including nutty and honeyed notes.
