City & Wine Country

Sydney paired with the cellars of the Hunter beyond. A private, tailored journey of 6-8 days in Sydney, Australia & New Zealand, designed end to end by a Forest Travel advisor — with Virtuoso privileges at the finest luxury hotels, from US$12,000 per traveler.

Two nations at the edge of the world offer coral gardens, ancient rainforest, glacial peaks and some of the most remote luxury on earth.

When to go

October through April, when the Southern Hemisphere summer opens the reef, the vineyards and the alpine trails all at once. Your advisor times it to the light, the crowds and your own calendar.

The experiences

A sense of what this journey can hold — each one arranged privately and shaped to you:

• A private cellar tasting in the Hunter Valley with a winemaker few travellers meet.
• A hot-air balloon at dawn over the vines, followed by breakfast in the fields.
• A harbour lunch in Sydney before the drive north into wine country.
• A guided evening of Australian food and wine pairings, arranged around your palate.

A sense of the rhythm

Begin in Sydney, where the harbour and the headlands ease you into the trip. Then the pace softens as you move north to the Hunter, among the oldest vines in the country. Days here are for long lunches, quiet cellars and the slow light over the ranges.

Day trips or a stay in the vines

You can taste the Hunter as a day from the city and keep Sydney as your base. Or you can settle among the vineyards, waking to the ranges and dining where the wine is made. The second gives the region its proper measure of time.

How to do it well

The counsel our advisors give travelers planning this journey:

• The Hunter is closer to Sydney than most expect, an easy morning by private car.
• Let us pair cellars to your taste rather than the well-trodden names.
• Balloon flights go at first light; reserve the calm mornings of the shoulder season.
• A private chauffeur means no one at your table has to forgo the tasting.

What only your advisor can open

The difference between a good trip and an unrepeatable one is access — and access is a relationship, not a booking. Every guide, room and moment is chosen and sequenced for you.

Who it's for

Travelers who value privacy, time and doing it once — beautifully — and who would rather have one trusted advisor orchestrate every detail than assemble it themselves.

Estimated investment

From US$12,000 per traveler, based on double occupancy — scaled to your dates, party size and level of privacy. A starting point, not a final quote; confirmed once your advisor tailors the itinerary.

Designed entirely around you

Nothing here is a package. A Forest Travel advisor shapes the whole journey and stays one message away before and throughout your trip.

Your Virtuoso privileges

As a Virtuoso member, Forest Travel includes benefits reserved for Virtuoso guests at the finest luxury hotels, at no added cost: a room upgrade on arrival when available, daily breakfast for two, a property credit toward dining or spa, and early check-in with late check-out when the hotel allows.

Continue exploring Sydney

Part of our Sydney travel guide. Related private journeys:

• Harbour & Headlands
• Sydney & the Reef
• Family in Sydney

Begin the conversation

Tell a Forest Travel advisor how you like to travel and they will design City & Wine Country around you — privately, every Virtuoso privilege included. Request your private consultation →