By DVine Experiences | Port Macquarie Wine Tour Guide
Most people associate NSW wine country with the Hunter Valley. They drive straight past Port Macquarie and don’t realise they’ve just bypassed one of the state’s most underrated wine regions — a place with cellar doors that date back to the 1860s, a family-run maze winery perched above rolling hinterland vines, an award-winning estate with a paddock-to-plate restaurant, and a volunteer-run historic vineyard that is genuinely one of a kind in Australia.
Port Macquarie sits at the heart of the Hastings River Wine Region — a designated Geographical Indication since 1999, with a subtropical climate that produces wines with distinctive character. The region is known particularly for Verdelho, Chambourcin, Semillon, and Chardonnay. The cellar doors are intimate. The makers are passionate. And unlike the Hunter, the car parks are not full.
This is exactly the kind of wine region DVine Experiences was built to explore. And there is no better way to do it than with someone who already knows where to go.
The Hastings River Wine Region: What Makes It Special
The Hastings River Wine Region has been producing wine for over 160 years. The climate — warm, coastal, with rich alluvial flats along the Hastings River — produces grapes with riper, more tropical fruit profiles than you’d find in cooler southern regions. Verdelho thrives here in a way it doesn’t elsewhere, and the Chambourcin grape — a French-American hybrid — produces reds with a distinctive depth that surprises people who haven’t encountered it before.
What the region lacks in fame it makes up for entirely in character. Visiting a Hastings River cellar door is nothing like a polished Hunter Valley tasting room experience. It’s personal. The person pouring your wine is often the person who made it. The stories behind the bottles are specific and real, not marketing copy.
The Hastings River wine region has been gaining recognition for its engaging cellar door experiences, regional cuisine, and coastal attractions, all of which contribute to its growing popularity. DVine guests who’ve visited more famous wine regions consistently tell us the Hastings River experience felt more genuine, more connected, and more memorable.
The Cellar Doors We Love in Port Macquarie
Cassegrain Wines
Cassegrain is one of the premier wine destinations on the Mid North Coast — the cellar door sits within the working winery on the Cassegrain Estate, just 13 minutes from Port Macquarie town centre. The estate grows Semillon, Verdelho, Chambourcin, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon on alluvial flats alongside the Hastings River, and also sources from their Richfield Vineyard in the New England highlands — giving the range a breadth that few regional producers can match.
Tasting at Cassegrain is the experience the estate is built around — the open-plan winery lets you watch the winemaking team at work while you work through the range at the cellar door. The Chambourcin in particular is a conversation-starter for anyone who hasn’t come across this French-American hybrid variety before. The estate grounds are beautiful — rose gardens, rolling lawns, and a formal garden that makes the whole visit feel unhurried and genuinely special.
Bago Maze and Winery
Set in the rolling hinterland near Port Macquarie, Bago Maze and Winery is a family-run winery and hedge maze destination on the Mid North Coast of NSW. Bago Winery and Vineyards is nestled in a picturesque valley surrounded by towering eucalyptus trees, rolling countryside, and acres of vines — a short scenic drive off the Pacific Highway, south of Port Macquarie. Perched on a hill, the cellar door and pergola overlooks the maze and vineyards, making it the ideal spot to sit and take in the scenery.
Bago specialises in premium Chardonnay, Verdelho, and fortified wines — think sparkling Pinot Noir Chardonnay, chocolate and blueberry liqueurs, and a shimmering blueberry rosé that’s become something of a local favourite. The maze itself is an optional extra that makes Bago uniquely fun for groups.
Douglas Vale Historic Homestead & Vineyard
The museum, vineyard, and cellar door have been restored. The boutique vineyard produces six varieties of wine — drop in for a tour of the homestead and grounds, enjoy tastings of heritage wines produced from handpicked grapes, and stroll the grounds and gardens.
What makes Douglas Vale unlike anywhere else in Australia is that the site dates back to 1859 and is run entirely by volunteers — making it the only volunteer-run winery in the country. The homestead is classified by the National Trust. The wines include rare varieties like Villard Blanc and Isabella — a grape so uncommon that Douglas Vale is one of only a handful of vineyards in Australia still producing port from it. Visiting here is a genuine piece of living history.
Inneslake Wines & Little Fish Restaurant
Planted in 1988, Inneslake Wines has been winning medals at the Hunter Valley Wine Show since its first vintage. The estate produces Semillon, Chardonnay, Shiraz, and Cabernet Merlot in a beautiful hinterland setting, with Little Fish Restaurant on-site for lunch overlooking the vines. A relaxed, unhurried stop with genuine warmth.
Long Point Vineyard & Gallery
A hidden gem that combines wine tasting with a boutique art gallery — Long Point’s Deckchair White has developed a devoted following among locals who know where to look. The gallery setting makes this a distinctly different kind of cellar door experience, and one that tends to linger in the memory.
What a DVine Port Macquarie Wine Tour Includes
All-inclusive door-to-door transport. We pick you up from your Port Macquarie accommodation and bring you home at the end of the day. No one has to drive. No one misses out on a glass.
Curated venue selection. Every stop on a DVine tour has passed The DVINE Test — quality, authenticity, and the kind of welcome that makes a visit feel personal rather than transactional. We rotate our itinerary depending on the group, the season, and what’s happening at each estate, always building the combination that works best for the day.
All tastings included. Every pour at every venue is covered. No fumbling for wallets between cellar doors.
Food throughout the day. A grazing board, a long lunch at our signature stop Abundance Café, or a sit-down at Little Fish at Inneslake — we make sure nobody arrives at a cellar door on an empty stomach. Good food makes everything taste better, and the Hastings River region has exceptional local produce to match its wine.
A Fun Director with you the whole day. Part host, part local expert, part concierge. They set the tone, tell the stories behind the makers, handle every booking and detail, and read the group to make sure the day flows exactly right.
Note: DVine does not own or have a financial interest in any venue we visit. Every recommendation we make is based solely on what we believe offers the best experience for our guests.
Sample Day: A DVine Hastings River Wine Tour
Morning pick-up: We collect you from your accommodation and head into the hinterland as the day is warming up. The drive to Bago through towering eucalypt forest is part of the experience.
First stop — Bago Maze and Winery: Tasting paddles on the cellar door terrace overlooking the vineyard and maze. The Verdelho and the shimmering blueberry rosé are usually the favourites. Anyone who wants to venture into the maze can — it’s genuinely impressive.
Mid-morning — Douglas Vale Historic Homestead: A short tour of the grounds and museum, followed by tastings of wines you genuinely won’t find anywhere else in Australia. The volunteer guides here have a depth of knowledge and genuine love for the place that’s infectious.
Lunch — Abundance Café, Little Fish Restaurant at Inneslake, or a grazing spread: This is the centre of the day — nobody rushes it. Abundance Café is our signature lunch stop: set in a beautiful garden overlooking a picturesque lake, with a menu that celebrates local produce and a warmth that makes every table feel like it was set just for you. For groups who want to stay among the vines, Little Fish at Inneslake is a stunning alternative. Or we time a beautifully curated grazing spread between stops — locally sourced, unhurried, and paired perfectly with whatever the morning has brought.
Afternoon — Cassegrain Wines or Long Point Vineyard & Gallery: An afternoon tasting session with the full range — the Chambourcin is always a conversation starter for people who haven’t encountered it — before the Fun Director begins the journey back to town.
Drop-off: Home with a boot full of bottles and a genuine story to tell about where they came from.
Who is a DVine Port Macquarie Wine Tour For?
Couples on a weekend away. A DVine wine tour is one of the most memorable things you can do in Port Macquarie together — unhurried, indulgent, and completely taken care of.
Groups of friends. Six to twelve people, a group chat that’s been planning this for months, and someone wise enough to let DVine handle the day. This is exactly what we were built for.
Visitors exploring Port Macquarie. If you’re here for a few days, a DVine wine tour is the single best way to understand the region properly — not just the beach and the Koala Hospital, but the hinterland, the makers, and the food scene that locals are quietly proud of.
Wine lovers who want depth. Our Fun Directors can go deep on the Hastings River GI, the story of Chambourcin in Australia, or the specific terroir differences between the alluvial flats and the New England highland vineyards — if that’s what you want. Or they keep it relaxed and accessible. The tone follows you.
People who’ve tried self-driving a wine tour and found it stressful. Someone ends up designated driver, someone else can’t find the turn-off, the carefully planned day falls apart by 11am. DVine exists because there’s a better way.
Port Macquarie vs Hunter Valley: Why Now Is the Right Time
The Hunter Valley is remarkable. It’s also busy, well-trodden, and — for a certain kind of traveller — increasingly difficult to experience intimately. Large operations, full car parks, tasting rooms that process hundreds of visitors a day.
Port Macquarie’s Hastings River region is at a more exciting stage. The region attained Geographical Indication status in 1999 and is known not just for wine production but for engaging cellar door experiences, music events, and regional cuisine. The producers are accessible. The stories are unfiltered. Visiting now — before the crowds discover it — means you experience the Hastings River at its most genuine.
DVine guests who’ve made the comparison tell us Port Macquarie felt more real, more personal, and more memorable. We believe it. And we think in five years, Australian wine lovers will agree.
Practical Information
Pick-up: Door-to-door from anywhere in the Port Macquarie area, including all major accommodation.
Tour duration: Our standard Hastings River wine experience runs approximately 5–6 hours. Half-day options are available.
Group size: Our Port Macquarie experiences accommodate up to 11 guests. For larger groups, contact us directly.
Just the two of you? Absolutely. Our experiences work beautifully for couples — a private day with a dedicated Fun Director who makes the day entirely about you.
Gift vouchers: DVine gift vouchers are beautifully presented and valid for 12 months. One of the best gifts you can give a wine lover on the Mid North Coast.
Book Your Port Macquarie Wine Tour
DVine Experiences operates all-inclusive wine and food tours across Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour. The Hastings River Wine Region is our home territory — we know every cellar door, every maker, and every story worth telling.
The best way to experience Port Macquarie’s wine country isn’t to rent a car and hope for the best. It’s to let someone who knows this region intimately take care of the day while you focus on enjoying every minute of it.
Explore our Port Macquarie tours →
DVine Experiences offers all-inclusive wine, food, and cellar door tours in Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour. Our curated experiences are designed for couples, groups, celebrations, and corporate events across the Mid North Coast of NSW.
By DVine Experiences | Coffs Harbour Hens Party Guide Planning a hens party in Coffs…
If you are searching for things to do in Port Macquarie, you are in the…
Plan your Easter escape on the Mid North Coast with egg hunts, markets and curated…
The Mid North Coast of New South Wales is one of Australia’s most beautiful yet underrated regions.…
Read These 6 DVINE Travel Tips Before You Lock Anything In As we step into…
For years, Port Macquarie and the Mid North Coast have been recognised for their beaches,…