Peterson House - Hunter Valley Winery

Peterson House sits at the Pokolbin gateway on the corner of Broke Road and Wine Country Drive, the Hunter's best-known sparkling specialist, with a sandstone chapel, the Restaurant Cuvee and plenty of lawn around it. Dogs are welcome on the cellar door deck and the restaurant deck, which makes it an easy half-day stop rather than a quick tasting in and out.

The dog setup

Dogs on leads are welcome on the cellar door deck for tastings and on the restaurant deck for meals, with open grounds around the property to settle into. Keep your dog leashed and with you the whole time; staff ask that dogs are not left unattended. Water bowls are usually around, and the venue even stocks pet merchandise, chew toys included, if the dog wants a souvenir. The indoor cellar door and dining room are people-only, so plan the visit around a deck table.

Max: a shaded deck seat, bubbles for the humans and a chew toy on the bill. The dog tax here is very reasonable.

Worth knowing

The cellar door opens daily from 9am to 5pm. The range is built on sparkling: traditional method and charmat wines from dry through to sweet, pink and fruit-infused bubbles among them, with the sparkling reds getting their own following. Restaurant Cuvee runs daily for breakfast and lunch, and the bubbly breakfast is a signature if you want to make a full morning of it. Book the restaurant deck ahead on weekends since those tables with dogs in mind go first.

Getting there and parking

It is the first major cellar door you reach coming into Pokolbin from Wine Country Drive, with a large free car park on site. The lawns between the car park and the decks are flat, so the walk in is easy with a dog.

Pair it with

Brokenwood Wines is a short drive up the road for a semillon-and-shiraz contrast to all the bubbles, and the NSW wineries guide covers the rest of the valley.

Local directions and options are on the Pokolbin destinations page.