Pepper Tree Wines

Pepper Tree Wines at 86 Halls Road is one of the genuinely dog-forward cellar doors in Pokolbin, named in the official Visit NSW pet-friendly Hunter guide for good reason. Well-behaved dogs are welcome across the whole property, including inside the cellar door itself, set among established gardens and an intimate courtyard.

The dog setup

The welcome extends everywhere a tasting happens: the lawns and gardens, the courtyard and paths, and inside the air-conditioned cellar door when the weather turns, which is a rare thing among the big Pokolbin doors. Keep your dog on a lead and settled around other guests, and clean up after them. Water bowls and the occasional treat are part of the service. On a fine day a relaxed tasting on the lawns suits most dogs best; on a hot one, the indoor seats are the reason this place stands out.

Pepsi: the garden table with a grazing board was perfect, and I got my own water bowl before the humans got their flights.

Worth knowing

Hours are 9am to 5pm on weekdays and from 9:30am on weekends, making it an easy first stop of the day. The range is broad: Hunter semillon and cabernet sit alongside the award-winning Limited Release wines, and the experiences list covers seated tastings, grazing boxes, cheese platters and gin flights if you want to turn the stop into a proper session. The grounds are large and manicured, so there is room to give the dog a walk between pours.

Getting there and parking

Halls Road runs off the Broke Road end of Pokolbin, with free on-site parking at the cellar door. The garden paths from the car park are level and wide, so arrival with a dog is easy even at busy times.

Pair it with

Meerea Park Wines is nearby for a boutique contrast, and Bimbadgen Cellar Door adds a big-estate option with its own restaurant a short drive on.

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