McLeish Estate

McLeish Estate at 463 DeBeyers Road is a boutique family winery established in 1985, and about as dog-welcoming as Pokolbin gets. Well-behaved dogs come inside the cellar door for tastings, water bowls are dotted around the buildings and gardens, and a resident schnauzer named Spencer considers himself part of the welcome party.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome inside the cellar door and out across the grounds, deck included, and the Vault VIP tasting area takes dogs alongside their owners too. Keep yours on a lead, particularly around the vineyards and flower gardens. Water bowls are placed through the property and visiting dogs often get a treat at the counter. Because the room is small and personal, a dog that settles quietly is the one that gets invited back to the indoor seats.

Pepsi: the resident schnauzer showed me round, I got a treat, and the humans got some semillon. Everyone won.

Worth knowing

The cellar door runs daily from 10am to 5pm. McLeish is best known for single-vineyard semillon and chardonnay, with a wall of show medals and trophies behind the bar to prove the point, and staff are happy to walk you through the range. The cheese board gets regular praise, so pairing a platter with the tasting is an easy way to stretch the visit. Bookings help on weekends, though the door handles walk-ins most days.

Getting there and parking

DeBeyers Road runs off the Hermitage Road side of Pokolbin, and parking is on site right outside the cellar door, so the car-to-tasting walk is a few metres. Watch the gravel drive and keep dogs on lead from the car, as other visitors' dogs are often arriving and departing the same small forecourt.

Pair it with

De Iuliis Wines is a few minutes away on the same side of the valley, and First Creek Wines works as a second stop with a bigger production setup.

More doors are on the NSW wineries guide and the Pokolbin destinations page.