Pokolbin Cider House

Pokolbin Cider House brings a cider-focused stop to Pokolbin in the Hunter Valley, with a range shaped by the region’s winemaking traditions. Rather than treating cider as a single style, the house experiments with fruit, fermentation and wine-inspired techniques. The result is a collection that moves beyond its original Classic Draught Apple Cider into grape, pear, berry and other flavour profiles.

A tasting paddle is the clearest way to explore the range. The website highlights options including Dark Grape, Raspberry and Cranberry, Passionfruit, Perry, Sweet Apple, Classic Draught and Pear Perry, giving visitors the chance to compare different styles in one visit. There are also juice tasting paddles for children and designated drivers, making the experience more flexible for mixed groups and families. A drinks menu, food menu and several named bar areas — Pickers Bar, Juicee Bar and Seedy Bar — are available as part of the venue’s offering, although the supplied information does not detail the current food selection.

The cider house’s story began in 2011, when it produced Classic Draught Apple and Raspberry Cranberry Cider in 500ml bottles for Peterson House Cellar Door. Its approach developed further with a bottle-fermented Vintage Cider, made with secondary fermentation and bottle ageing in a style inspired by traditional sparkling wine. Later additions included Grape Cider, Sweet Spiced Cider and several pear-based releases, including cask-aged and vintage versions of Perry and Pear Nat.

In 2016, Pokolbin Cider House moved to the Lambloch Estate Cellar Door. The site describes the setting as a unique location with a fun, relaxed atmosphere, and the current offering includes tasting, online shopping, bookings, events and a club. For visitors exploring the Hunter Valley wine country, it provides an alternative to the region’s usual cellar-door experience, with enough variety to suit cider enthusiasts and curious first-timers. Families can make use of the juice paddles, while adults can focus on the house’s more experimental cider styles.