you know that weekend you keep talking about? somewhere beautiful to stay, good wine, lovely food and no household jobs.
then someone can’t get leave. someone’s waiting to hear from their partner. suddenly you’re discussing dates six months away.
i took myself to the hunter valley instead.
i booked the tiny home at thistle hill for d’vine festival and got bloody lucky that it was available.
what followed was a weekend of rosé, dumplings, oysters, dancing and conversations with people i wouldn’t have met sitting at home.
my stay at thistle hill
the hunter already feels familiar to me. i spent three months living there and working in a cellar door. i rented an old cellar door near hermitage road and used to run to nearby wineries, then carry wine home.
a fitness program i could get behind.
for this visit, thistle hill was my base. i stayed in the tiny home and the grounds are stunning.
stunning enough that i said i’d have my wedding there.
no groom at this stage. but good to have something organised.
i love staying somewhere that’s part of the experience. somewhere you actually want to spend time, rather than somewhere you just sleep between bookings.
especially when you’re travelling alone. it’s lovely to have your own space to come back to after a social day.
the places i’d send you
when you ask me where to go, glandore, mercer and wombat crossing and mcaffreys are four i’d put on your list.
consider this the little tip i’d give you over a glass of wine.
glandore
glandore was a highlight of my d’vine weekend.
there was a winery immersion experience, a dance show and later bubbles and dancing.
a fairly strong combination in my opinion.
i’d put glandore on your tasting list. my visit had the extra fun of the festival, so check what’s happening when you’re going rather than expecting the dance floor to be waiting every weekend.
mercer
at mercer, i had oysters and the lovely women made me feel so welcome.
that stays with me.
especially when you arrive somewhere alone. being welcomed properly makes it much easier to settle in and enjoy yourself.
mercer is one i’d recommend for your weekend. the oysters were part of my festival experience, but the people are why it belongs in this article.
wombat crossing
wombat crossing is my little insider tip.
i spent time drinking wine around the campfire with simon and pup during the weekend. those conversations are as much a part of my memories as the wine.
when you’re planning your own visit, book a tasting and give yourself time to enjoy their single vineyard wines.
you don’t need to rush through somewhere lovely because you’ve booked another four stops.
a little trip out to winmark
i’d also make time for a trip out to winmark in broke.
go for the chardonnay and leave time for the art gallery and sculpture walk. it gives you something lovely to explore between wine tastings.
wine, art and a wander. very much my kind of afternoon.
ask what’s being poured when you book, including whether there’s sparkling available for your visit.
give this stop some room in the itinerary. you don’t want to arrive somewhere beautiful and spend the whole time checking your watch.
the rest of my weekend
there was rosé at mccaffrey’s. beanbags, sunshine and music at latitude 32. dumplings that deserved their own place in the itinerary. a visit to tintilla too.
i did paint and sip, with sunflowers and an ambitious intention to paint oranges back at thistle hill, the most stunning grounds
i met people over rosé and conversations about travel.
the next day was a bike ride, breakfast at 4 pines and flowers from the farmers market.
a very good way to finish a weekend.
when you want to do this yourself
start with somewhere you’ll enjoy staying. organise transport for your wine tastings, then choose a few places you really want to spend time in.
glandore, mercer and wombat crossing would be my recommendations. give winmark its own little outing when you want to add art and chardonnay to the weekend.
the food, entertainment and activities i experienced were part of d’vine festival. check the programme for your dates.
when you’re nervous about going alone, a tasting or workshop gives you an easy way to start talking to people.
you can still wish you had someone to go with.
you can also book it and have a really lovely time.
i did.
the wedding venue research was simply an unexpected bonus.