Sure, I have visited the Hunter. At least, once a year or so I do a quick day trip or an overnight with friends. I always come home with a boot full of interesting finds and discoveries. It took a trip to the Hunter with a group of other bloggers and media to make me realise that I have not done this region justice with my ‘breeze in, breeze out once a year’ visits of the past few years.

There is so much more to the Hunter than the obvious – wine (although there is plenty of that and some brilliant finds are just waiting for you).

For a start, why stick to four wheels when you could get around on just two. With the close proximity of the wineries and an abundance of gently rolling hills with some good bicycle paths, this region lends itself to getting around by bicycle. Particularly fun if you are with a group. Or if you are like me and feel safer with four wheels, there is always a horse drawn carriage.

If staying on the ground is not your style, you could take to the air and float, hover or fly. There are plenty of opportunities for appreciating the beauty of the valley from the air by balloon, helicopter and joy flights by air.

For foodies, there is much pleasure to be found in sampling some of the local produce. The Hunter Valley Chocolate Company or The Smelly Cheese Shop might be a great place to start…not speaking from personal experience or anything…much. Some of the wineries also showcase cheese and other local goods so make sure that you allow some extra time to appreciate delicacies. Of course, you will not go hungry with so many fine food options to suit any budget.

There is a seemingly endless list of other activities available in the Hunter: golf, shopping, day spas, zoos, horse riding, museums and art galleries. One of the eye openers of this recent trip was the Hunter Valley Gardens. This is certainly a great spot to while away an afternoon. The extensive themed gardens are lovely with a different vista at every turn and there is plenty of space for kids to run around or for stealing that romantic moment. Just quietly, I am looking forward to going back there for the Christmas Light display, which I am sure will be magical.

Of course, you cannot go to the Hunter without enjoying a cellar door experience, or two. There are over a hundred cellar doors in the Hunter offering tastings and many can cater for groups as well. Whether it be a fun fizz, a zippy Hunter Semillon, an elegantly bodied red, or a full on luscious sweetie, I challenge anyone to leave the Hunter empty handed.

My Top 5 list of ‘must’ visit cellar doors are:

Briar Ridge: A picturesque winery with a fine range of wines and the Briar Grillade is just brilliant for brunch, lunch, snacks or dinner.

McWilliams at Mt Pleasant: One of the Hunter’s ‘First Families’ with an extensive range of wines, amongst them some of Australia’s classics.

Tyrrells: A must visit if you love Semillon and Hunter Shiraz.

Piggs Peake: Some very pretty whites, reds that will blow your socks off and some stickies that will delight.

Krinklewood: A very pretty cellar door with some excellent Bio-dynamic wines that make the extra miles to Broke well worth it.

Image credits and copyright: Lisa Johnston, Wine Muse 2011