Hunter Valley cellar door in Pokolbin
Come up the hill.
Open every day from 10am, with the riddling racks behind the bench and the vines outside the door. Here is what to expect, how to get here and when to book.
The cellar door
A Hunter Valley cellar door that makes one thing
Ember Hill's Hunter Valley cellar door sits on the slope below an ironstone ridge in Pokolbin, 14 hectares of chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier around it. Every wine poured at the bench is traditional-method sparkling, made here and aged on its lees in the cellar dug into the hill behind you.
That narrow focus shapes the visit. A tasting here is five wines: the four cuvées and a glass of base wine from tank, so you can taste what the wine was before the second ferment and the years in the bottle. The riddling racks stand behind the bench, and on most days someone from the cellar is turning bottles while you taste.
Most visitors take their time. Some book the cheese pairing on the terrace, some walk down for lunch at Lees, our restaurant, and some simply buy a few bottles and sit on the lawn with the ridge going red as the afternoon light drops.
Plan your visit
Hours and getting here
The cellar door keeps the same hours every day of the year, apart from two closures. Our tastings run on the hour, so arriving just before keeps the wait short.
- Cellar door
- Open daily, 10am to 5pm
- Closed
- Christmas Day and Good Friday
- Tastings
- On the hour, 10am to 4pm, $20 a person, up to 8 at a bench
- Where
- Pokolbin NSW 2320, in the Hunter Valley wine country
- From Newcastle
- About 50 minutes by car
- From Sydney
- About 2 hours 15 minutes by car, most of it on the M1
- Without a car
- Hunter Valley tours and private transfers can bring you to the door; let us know your operator when you book
Getting home
Choose your driver before you choose your wines
Pokolbin wineries sit close together, and the roads between them are narrow and get busy on a Saturday afternoon. If you plan to taste, agree on a designated driver before you leave home, or book a tour or a transfer.
Designated drivers are looked after at the bench, with cold water and soft drinks while the others taste. Every pour is a small measure, and anyone can ask for a spittoon without a second look. Bottles you buy can wait in the cellar door fridge while you finish lunch, so nothing sits in a hot car. If your plans change during the day, ask at the bench and we will help you find a transfer back to where you are staying.
While you're here
What to do at the cellar door
Walk-ins are welcome on weekdays. On weekends the bench fills by late morning, so book ahead for any of these.
Taste the four cuvées
The Blanc de Blancs, the Rosé, the Blanc de Noirs and the Late Disgorged, plus a glass of base wine from tank. Poured at the bench by someone who works in the cellar.
Bubbles and cheese
Each cuvée with a Hunter cheese chosen to sit beside it, served on the terrace above the vines. The most relaxed way to spend an hour here.
Take some home
Every cuvée is for sale at the cellar door, by the bottle or the dozen. If you find one you keep coming back to, the club sends it to you twice a year.
Dogs, children and access
Who can come, and how we make room
Dogs are welcome on the lawn on a lead, and there is a water bowl by the gate. They stay outside the tasting room and the restaurant. Assistance animals are welcome everywhere.
Children are welcome with an adult. They can run on the lawn while you taste, though only people 18 and over are served, and we ask for ID from anyone who looks under 25. All of our bookable experiences are for adults only.
A level path runs from the car park to the tasting room and the terrace, and there is an accessible toilet inside. The riddling room tour goes down stairs into the cellar under the hill, so if steps are hard for anyone in your group, tell us and we will suggest a tasting that stays on one level.
The ridge behind the cellar door turns ember-red at sunset. It is how the place got its name.
When to come
The vineyard changes through the year
January is vintage. The sparkling base is the first fruit picked in the Hunter, by hand and before dawn, while the grapes are cool and the acid is still high. By the time the cellar door opens at 10am the picking crew has usually finished for the day, but the press is often still running and the whole slope smells of crushed fruit.
Autumn turns the chardonnay rows on the Top Block yellow and the light goes soft and low by mid afternoon. Winter is the quiet season: bare canes, frost on the lawn some mornings, and the best chance of a bench to yourself. In spring the new shoots come through on the Hill Block and the terrace is at its most comfortable for the cheese tasting.
Summer afternoons in Pokolbin can be hot. Come in the morning, bring a hat, and leave dogs at home on the hottest days.
Groups
Bringing a group to Pokolbin
Groups of 9 to 20 are welcome at $35 a person, booked ahead, so we can set a bench aside and have the wines open and cold when you walk in. For more than 20, ask us and we will work out a time that suits you and the cellar.
Tour operators are welcome on the same terms. Send the date, the number of guests and your arrival window, and we will confirm a tasting slot. If your group would like lunch afterwards, book Lees at the same time, as weekend tables go early.
For a celebration with more than a tasting in it, look at the barrel hall and the vineyard chapel instead. Both are on the estate, a short walk from the cellar door, and the team that runs them can show you through on a weekday.
Questions
Cellar door hours, dogs and access
What are the Ember Hill cellar door hours?
The cellar door is open every day from 10am to 5pm. We close on Christmas Day and Good Friday and nowhere else. Tastings run on the hour from 10am, and the last one starts at 4pm, so arrive by then if you want the full five wines at the bench. Lees, the restaurant, keeps its own hours: lunch Thursday to Monday and dinner on Friday and Saturday nights.
Do I need to book a tasting at the cellar door?
On weekdays you can usually walk in and join the next tasting on the hour. On weekends and public holidays the bench fills by late morning, so book ahead to be sure of a spot. Each tasting takes up to 8 people and costs $20 a person. Groups of 9 or more always need a booking, which you can make through the contact page.
How far is Ember Hill from Newcastle and Sydney?
Pokolbin is about 50 minutes by car from Newcastle and about 2 hours 15 minutes from Sydney, most of it on the M1. If you plan to taste, decide on a designated driver before you set off, or book a Hunter Valley tour or a private transfer. Many visitors from Sydney stay the night nearby and make a slower day of it.
Can I bring my dog to the cellar door?
Yes, on the lawn and on a lead. There is a water bowl by the gate and shade under the trees. Dogs stay outside the tasting room and the restaurant, so plan for someone to sit with them on the lawn while others taste. If you are looking for dog friendly wineries for a day out, bring water and a lead and keep to the cooler hours. Assistance animals are welcome in every part of the cellar door and Lees.
Are children allowed at Ember Hill?
Children are welcome at the cellar door with an adult, and the lawn gives them room to move while you taste. Only guests aged 18 and over are served wine, and we check ID for anyone who looks under 25. Every bookable experience, including the cheese tasting and the cellar tour, is for adults only, so children can't join those.
Is the cellar door accessible for wheelchairs?
Yes. A level path runs from the car park to the tasting room and the terrace, and there is an accessible toilet inside. The one area that is hard to reach is the cellar under the hill, which is down a flight of stairs, so the riddling room tour isn't step-free. Tell us when you book and we will set you up with a tasting on the level.
Book a tasting at the bench
Five wines, 45 minutes, $20 a person, on the hour from 10am. Walk in on a weekday, or book ahead for the weekend.