MUDGEE

A physically flat but economically thriving regional city and a fan favourite for any wine getaway. Just 3 hours outside of Sydney, it's an ‘escape to the country’ without the taxing commute.

The wineries are within idyllic country settings which pair well with the homely country service. Mudgee is a specialised region with charming cottage-style cellar doors without the ‘all-for-show’ money influence, with the actual town offering plenty outside of wineries.

Mudgee’s specialty is no doubt Red wine, although that’s not to say there aren’t beautiful whites, bubbles and fortified from the region. You’ll be treated to traditional varietals, modern fusions and plenty of Italian/Spanish influences.

Here is the list of the wineries I visited, in what order (logistically sensible of course!) and my own thoughts.

Honourable mention to Robert Stein, which by all accounts is apparently very good but shut on the days we went.

Top Picks

All Rounders:

- Lowe Family Wine Co. (pictured)

- Pieter Van Gent

- Huntington Estate

For the Wine:

- Vinifera Wines

- Elephant Mountain

- Bunnamagoo

For the Cellar Door:

- Logan Wines

- First Ridge

logan wines

Cellar Door

Modern and vibrant with a large outdoor verandah overlooking rolling hills and a large dam. Perfect for an outdoor drink in the sunshine.

Wines

A host of traditional Australian wines using softer fruits, with excellent reds in particular.

Service

Friendly and attentive as they make their way around from table to table. The glasses are set out around the tasting notes to allow for easy following along.

Good For

Outdoor drink, groups, instagram, photos, events

Favourite Drops

Pinot Noir (Weemala)

Burrundulla

Cellar Door

A large U-Shaped building set on a large land holding with tasting areas for small and large groups. Plenty of space to roam and lawn games to keep you occupied.

Wines

An excellent showcase of Mudgee’s best known wine varieties.

Service

It’s a popular spot, but the service from Ted was fantastic, who told all about the origin of the winery including the early settlers and convicts!

Good For

Family friendly, groups, story, events, outdoor drink, photos, corporate

Favourite Drops

Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon

The Little Things

Ample outdoor space with a lot of games set up, like Bocci, basketball, finska which would make for a fun afternoon with friends and/or family.

A few extra words on Burrundulla

While it took a while to get served, when we did it was top draw (thanks Ted!) The wines are enjoyable, but what really stuck out for me was the large grounds with plenty to do and the story behind the winery and its origins, dating back to early settlers including some convicts!

Burrundulla is set on a large land holding with plenty to look at and do, including equipment for lawn games, sport and activity (for kids or adults). Would be a great place to hold a large event but perfectly suitable to visit with your partner/friend(s).

The Cellar by Gilbert

Cellar Door

A rustic stone and wood cottage with very high ceilings, a sophisticated and professional vibe without being smug.

Wines

Chardonnay specialists however whole board is great (particularly their whites).

Service

The service suits the setting - professional, sophisticated yet kind and attentive.

Good For

Corporate, special occasion, interior

Favourite Drops

Chardonnay, Riesling

The Little Things

Ample outdoor space with a lot of games set up, like Bocci, basketball, finska which would make for a fun afternoon with friends and/or family.

Vinifera

Cellar Door

Unassuming, relaxed and pleasant. Inside is flooded with natural light in a Mediterranean style, leading to an outdoor space with tables and chairs overlooking the vineyard. It's homely.

Wines

Spanish wine specialists but also do Australian wines, they have a wine for all palates.

Service

Passionate and animated service that is educational and enjoyable. Very informative in what each drop is, comparing the Spanish grapes to the Aussie equivalent and is a great intro to Spanish grape varietals.

Good For

Wine appreciators, outdoor drink, novelty (distillery), learning, Spanish wines

Favourite Drops

Gran Tinto (shiraz Garnacha Tempranillo)

The Little Things

There is an on-site Distillery (Baker Williams) which is very popular - its set in a funky shed and offers tastings. I didn't do it but it looks well worth visiting.

A few extra words on Vinifera

Vinifera produces both Australian and Spanish wines and are certainly specialists in their craft. The Spanish reds are truly divine and I could’ve bought plenty more than I did. I’d say my favourite wine from the region was purchased here.

The Cellar Door itself is unassuming with simple outdoor picnic-bench seating out the back. The service was excellent, educational and passionate. On-site next to the wine cellar door is a distillery which is very popular (next time perhaps!)

Huntington Estate

Cellar Door

Impressive estate with large outdoor log seating and fire pits, leading to an intimate Door with ‘at bar’ seating.

Wines

Traditional wines both red and white, the reds are bold and full of flavour.

Service

Attentive and professional, lives up to their reputation as one of the region's best.

Good For

Large groups, wine lovers, events, special occasions, instagram, corporate

Favourite Drops

Semillon Reserve, special mention for both the Shiraz and Cab Sauv (which Dad always has a few boxes of at home!)

The Little Things

The outdoor area feels like the setting for a country music festival - I'd have loved to come here on a packed weekend or for an event (naturally it wasn't kicking off at 10AM!)

A few extra words on Huntington Estate

This is one of Mudgee’s high-end wineries and it is a very impressive space. I wish we didn’t make this our first stop of the day as it would’ve been great to see it in action full of patrons. The outside grounds provide vast seating for big groups (and clearly functions/concerts), with log seating and fire pits throughout.

Inside is an intimate Cellar Door with ‘at bar’ seating and a vast Australian wine list on offer. While their reds are the specialty, I really enjoyed their whites which had a similar level of boldness. The indoor service is intimate, professional and helpful.

Elephant Mountain

Cellar Door

Boutique, homely and quaint; drive past beautiful roaming horses to arrive at a casual spot for inside or outside tasting. Not a place for a large group after a “long day”.

Wines

Delicious and flavoursome full of fruitiness (like Pinot Noir and Rose), best value wines in Mudgee! Relatively young winery who knows what the modern drinker likes.

Service

Family run, we were served tastings by the owner then purchased our wines from the daughter. Wholesome!

Good For

Excellent value wines, quiet ‘at home’ feel, medium groups

Favourite Drops

Shiraz (2015), Rose

The Little Things

On the way down the drive you'll go past some very young ponies (although they've likely since grown up) which will make anyone yell "horses!" in excitement. There are also life-size Chess boards and other lawn games to keep a group amused.

A few extra words on Elephant Mountain

We found this gem when we were running ahead of schedule and needed a winery to fill in time (this was post-COVID when you had to book each stop). We were very happy we found this true boutique, family-run gem where we were treated to the best value wines in Mudgee.

All of the wines were delicious and flavoursome. The $25 Shiraz (which I wish I bought more of) had the full fruitiness of a Pinot Noir but with that trademark boldness you’d expect of a Shiraz. The Rose was phenomenal, which is big as I’m not typically a Rose fan.

It’s a smaller and quaint Cellar Door so not where you'd go with a huge group of drunks at day’s end. This is a winery you visit to stock up on the best-value wines in the region (do not interpret lower price as low quality).

Pieter Van Gent

Cellar Door

My pick for coolest Door in the region. Feels like you’re inside a wine barrel - entirely indoors, dimly lit with old wooden floorboards. Truly authentic.

Wines

Unique in the best way - “abstract”. They use less common grapes like Duriff and have a great range of Fortified which they incorporate into blends. Exceptional!

Service

Takes time to get in - its popular with limited capacity which adds to the charm once inside. The service is worth the wait - passionate, funny, engaging and educational.

Good For

Small-medium groups, learning, education, wine appreciators, intimate, unique wine, interior

Favourite Drops

Shiraz Cab Muscat (Sundance), Duriff (2015)

A few extra words on Pieter Van Gent

This was by far the coolest Cellar Door in the region. It didn’t rely on a pretty view or large landscape, instead it is entirely indoors with low-lights surrounded by casks, barrels and an ‘I’m walking on dirt’ feel (in the best way).

It took time to get in here, it was crowded for a small Cellar Door but worth the wait. The service was educational, passionate, funny and highly engaging. You may have to wait longer between wines than at other wineries as they are busy, but you get their full and undivided attention when being served.

The wines themselves were unique - the good kind of unique., so I went with “abstract”. They had varietals you don’t see a lot of such as Duriff. They have a great range of Fortified Wine and they even incorporate these into some of their blends.

This intimate setting is fantastic, quirky, enjoyable and a must visit.

Lowe Family

Cellar Door

Huge open grounds with well-spaced outdoor seating overlooking vineyards and back into an alfresco barrel-lined interior. There's a peaceful dam, jetty to sit on and a wooden swing overlooking the whole spectacle.

Wines

Traditional wine styles along with a beautiful organic. Hard not to like the wines here when paired with the excellent service and setting.

Service

Best service received in Mudgee. Sparkling provided on entry before being taken to your seat. The professional and well-trained server had ample passion and clearly bought into the family ethos (which must’ve been fabulous service and fabulous wines).

Good For

Groups all sizes, events, special occasions, wine appreciators, family friendly, story, learning, instagram, setting

Favourite Drops

Pf 500 Organic Shiraz

The Little Things

A gorgeous swing that overlooks the winery at the tip of a picturesque dam - great photo op!

A few extra words on Lowe Family

This was the best service we received in Mudgee; the beautiful service presented in an equally beautiful setting. Sparkling is provided on entry before being taken to your seat to overlook the grounds, where a vast vineyard sits in the backdrop of a beautiful Dam foreground, with miniature jetty and wooden swing a cherry on top.

The server was engaging, professional and clearly very well trained. This was a rare case of when “drinking the Kool Aid” goes right. The staff had passionately bought into the Lowe Family’s story and ethos, simply being the making of excellent wines.

To me, Lowe summed up Mudgee’s wine region. It was pretty and charming but didn’t make you feel underdressed or out of place. It was ‘salt of the earth’ service with wonderfully flavoured wines.

While i’ve noted their specialty as ‘organic wine’ they really only had 1 of these but it just stood out. All of their wines were lovely and well explained. Everything tastes better when accompanied by a well-told story amidst a serene setting.

bunnamagoo

Cellar Door

An elegant setting, clean and nicely styled modern Cellar Door with options for indoor intimate seating and outdoor with a view of a peaceful dam and space to roam.

Wines

This was a place where I truly could have bought some of everything I tried. Was really impressed. Nothing out of the ordinary, just well balanced and tasty.

Service

Attentive, calm and homely service. Again the staff are well-trained and clearly enjoy working there.

Good For

Wine appreciators, small-medium groups, outdoor drink, family friendly

Favourite Drops

Tempranillo, Rose, but honestly every single one was excellent

The Little Things

Being owned by the Paspaley family, its not a bad spot to buy a present for your significant other (or just treat yourself!)

A few extra words on Bunnamagoo

We decided to do a couple of wineries on our way out of Mudgee and this was the first stop. I was sceptical - the owners are well-off Pearl magnates and truthfully I thought this may be a “we have money, we drink nice wine, let's try and make it” project. I am pleased (and humbled) to say my radar was way off and that every one of their wines was enjoyed immensely.

The setting is eloquent - a clean and easy Cellar Door with both indoor and outdoor seating, looking over a small peaceful dam with space to roam. The service was attentive and made us feel comfortable and at home, but more like my parents home where it is better designed and furnished! Our Swedish server was well trained and authentic (I hope you finish your marketing degree with flying colours!)

If I rated every wine I tried in Mudgee, the wine list here would get my highest average score. I simply enjoyed each wine on the tasting list and will happily purchase any found at a restaurant or store.

MUDGEE

Top Picks

logan wines

Burrundulla

The Cellar by Gilbert

Vinifera

Huntington Estate

Elephant Mountain

Pieter Van Gent

Lowe Family

bunnamagoo

first ridge

This website uses cookies.