Unsurprisingly, most shops in the Hunter Valley are focused on wine and gourmet produce – seventh heaven for foodies! Pokolbin Village or the Hunter Valley Garden’s Village offer the largest collections of shops in the one place but beautiful individual stores can be found dotted right across the vineyards.
Some of the shops you can expect to find include The Candle Emporium (candles and candelabras), Country Farm Delights (preserves and relishes), Waiter’s Friend (bar wear and kitchen wear), Wilson and Hunter (designer men’s and women’s fashion), Village Book Cellar (books) and The Twig (home furnishings and linen).
There are also lots of unique antique shops,
cheese shops, handicrafts retailers and galleries offering special, one-off products. Many of the galleries have resident local artists who can talk to you about their works, techniques and inspiration.
The locals will tell you that the best gift you can buy is a crisp, fresh Hunter Valley Semillon or perhaps an earthy, rich Hunter Shiraz and most wineries offer national freight services at very reasonable prices. Or, if you love the wines enough, pick your favourite small boutique vineyard and join up as a member!
Larger commercial shopping centres can be found in
Cessnock,
Maitland and
Muswellbrook where you will find chain stores, large supermarkets and fast food outlets.
