One of the smallest wineries in the Hunter Valley but with a cozy cellar door and excellent wines, Emma’s Cottage in Lovedale is a must visit for any wine lover.
Certainly, this road we are on – the wilderness road – is ironically named. Crossing Lovedale, our road shows satisfyingly straight rows of vines, elegant wedding venues, health retreats, boutique hotels, and even the tall black fences and stalls of a horse.
But not wilderness.
Near the Pokolbin side of Lovedale, it is located Emma’s Cottage. Nestled among vines and scattered lawn trees, this cellar door is home to one of the Hunter’s smaller wineries.
Beautiful and cosy, Emma’s Cottage belies its high street name, the curve of the small footbridge leading to the cellar door is the finishing touch to its inviting entrance.
Watch the 20 second quick video of Emma’s Cottage:
Wine tasting experience at Emma’s Cottage, Lovedale
Inside, we find the warmly lit cottage, which has been a winery since the 1980s, also has a wide selection of beautiful homewares, books and hats. One even suits me!
We perch on the comfortable stools along the wooden bar, lined with bottles and set up for wine tasting, and admire the color palate that has been so carefully curated here. Everywhere you look there is a beautiful vignette of warm timber and rattan, soft-finish ceramics and felt fabrics.
We could happily stay here all day, but we can’t.
As Meg, the wonderful estate coordinator, explains, our reservation is in the next room. Of course, he suggests we stay put, but everything is ready, so we pull down our stools and take our new place at a table.
Do not worry. we are OK.
Along with tasting notes and glasses, in front of us is a well stocked charcuterie plate with local produce. Indeed, we fast forward to the end of our Hunter stay and make our way to Binnorie Dairy to pick up a couple of pots of Duetto — a delicious combination of mascarpone and gorgonzola.
Meg takes us through the wines on the list.
As of 2022, Emma’s Cottage is the home of Alter Wines—its “alter” self Bimbadgento whom the estate now belongs.
Check out our Bimbadgen cellar door review here.
These wines—lively, bright, modern and approachable—contrast Bimbadgen’s more traditional view of Hunter varietals.
This is not to say that there is nothing in these wines. There is a complexity and intelligence to them that is easy to appreciate. We start with Alter’s Blanc de Blancs and are immediately impressed. Light, balanced and endlessly enjoyable, it’s a sparkler we want to take home.
Along with sparkling, the Chardonnay and Rarebirds Rosé really stand out for us, although the Semillon and Shiraz also catch our eye.
But it makes sense that we like these wines. We’re fans of Bimbadgen’s head winemaker, the talented Richard Done. And not only is Rich killing it at Bimbadgen here at Emma’s Cottage with Alter Wines, his own winery—John Wallace five minutes away—is another must-visit cellar door.
The Rest Of Emma’s Cottage
As we sit back and ease into the tasting (and what’s left of the cheese board), we take in the rest of the space.
This room is furnished with other tables and chairs, and in a similar warm, relaxing color palette to the bar and shop. A wall of windows and a sliding door overlook the terrace and the 12 acres on which the winery sits.
Behind us is another door that leads to a function room all set up with long tables ready for festivities. This would make a great one wedding or birthday venue.
Moreover, there is stay here; In addition to the main building, there are several others nearby that offer cottages of between two and five bedrooms.
We leave this haven of warm colors, soft furnishings, delicious wine and luxurious cheeses and return to the Wilderness (Road) to continue our Hunter adventure. It’s something that Emma’s Cottage and Alter Wines have just made much better. We will be back.
