Iron Gate Estate — Restaurant in Pokolbin

My husband and I visited Iron Gate Estate for a mid-morning wine tasting followed by a delicious lunch, and we had the best time!

The tasting felt cosy and intimate, with the freedom to choose where we wanted to sit. We picked a quiet table against the wall in the bar area, and Eden, our host, made the experience even better with his friendly and welcoming approach. Although we were given a menu to select our own wines, we decided to let Eden surprise us with his personal picks, and it made the tasting so much more fun and exciting! There were definitely some standouts we both really enjoyed 🍷.

Lunch was an absolute highlight. The restaurant was buzzing with a fantastic atmosphere, and every dish we ordered was incredible. From the Paella arancini with squid ink aioli and Salt-cod croquetas, to the Spanish pesto, pumpkin & goats’ curd woodfired bread, Free-range pork belly with salsa roja, and wood-grilled baby broccoli, everything was packed with flavour. We ended on a sweet note with the burnt Basque cheesecake — absolutely divine! 😍

The winery itself is stunning, with interiors and exteriors that give such authentic Spanish vibes. We can’t wait to come back in summer and hopefully enjoy the beautiful outdoor seating. For this visit though, the cosy indoor setting was...

A lot of reviews here highlight the wine tasting experience, and I’d agree it was very good. Unfortunately, the lunch that followed didn’t measure up.

Our table was attended by four different staff members, which led to an inconsistent service experience. Drinks menus had to be requested several times, wine and beer were served separately, glasses were left empty for too long, and the sparkling wine was mishandled three times (served as rosé, then flat, before finally being poured correctly).

The food was a mixed bag. The entrée tartare was tasty, though one cracker would have been plenty, and the paella arancini was enjoyable. The mains, however, were disappointing. The $54 sirloin looked unappealing and lonely on the plate with just a pile of salt and a lemon wedge. The baby octopus ($24) arrived swimming in liquid with little care in presentation, outside of the accompanying lemon wedge. The broccolini side ($18) consisted of thick, undercooked stalks without seasoning beyond yet another lemon wedge.

The tasting is worth doing, but I wouldn’t recommend...

Hands down the best tour and tasting in Hunter Valley! We had Geoff take us around the inside of the winery and talk us through how the entire process works from start to finish, he went way above and beyond to explaining and pretty much almost demonstrating how each piece of machinery moves and does its job, even telling us exactly where they came from and why they use certain equipment over others.

I find some of the wineries around Hunter Valley tend to be a little less welcoming when they find out you have little wine knowledge/ you are a beginner wine drinker, but you won't find any of that judgement here.

Cathy was the one to talk us through the tastings, she was more than happy to take us straight from the beginning and explain in full detail how to actually properly taste wine, the first person to actually ever offer to do that during our entire 3 day stay in the Hunter, there is so much passion and love from every person in this place.

I've been told they plan to open a quick bites sort of restaurant soon, can't wait to be back...