Vines, Views & Great Food: Gourmet Getaway to Winmark & Margan
Ever thought about planning a gourmet getaway around great wine and amazing food? Same here. Well, we’ve discovered the perfect combo – a Gourmet Getaway to Winmark & Margan in the Hunter Valley of NSW.
Winmark accommodation is a place where Chardonnay meets artistry, vines sprawl and the sky feels endless. It feels like the stylish country escape your city-brain’s been dreaming of. And just a short drive away is Margan Restaurant, a fabulous one-hatted gem that is guaranteed to make your taste buds sing.
This is THE getaway for the Gourmet Traveller, who loves easy luxury and unforgettable food and wine.
Stay Among the Vines
Let’s start with where you’ll stay. Winmark isn’t your average winery. It’s a relaxed, creative escape where award-winning Chardonnay flows, the accommodation is stylish and the calendar’s full of optional art workshops and live music. Stay in an intimate, tiny home for two, or sleek villas or a spacious, modern estate with views for days.
What doesn’t Winmark have? It’s got the wine, the cellar door, the views, the tennis court, the pool, the coffee van, the gallery… everything but a hatted restaurant.
Luckily, just 6-minutes down the road is multi award winning Margan…dah dahhh! This restaurant delivers paddock-to-plate dining at its finest.
Darling Margan: A Feast for the Senses
Margan offers the kind of meal you’ll talk about for ages. This isn’t just dining; it’s a paddock-to-plate experience, where the bounty is plucked straight from their soil which clings tenderly to their roots, and still warm from the sun. Bursting with flavour. Margan nurtures their own one-acre kitchen garden and olive groves, while tending beehives, raising lambs, and free-range chickens, all of which shape the soul of every dish.
Every plate is a nod to sustainability, crafted with what’s grown, raised, or foraged on-site. In fact, Margan has been a pioneer in sustainable farming and dining long before it became a trend, leading the way with regenerative agriculture, minimum tillage and low-intervention wines. In otherwise, promotes next level soil and the most flavour-packed produce, straight to your plate.
The dining offering at Margan includes a small plates menu, an à la carte menu, or the inspired 5 course Tasting Menu, each designed to showcase the very best of their harvest. Dishes like delicate Stracciatella with beetroot and pistachio, or Bass Grouper with lobster bisque and fennel. And don’t get us started on the wood-fired focaccia served with whipped butter that might ruin you for all other bread.
Much like Anton Ego’s transformation in the film, ‘Ratatouille,’ the first bite at Margan takes you somewhere unexpected. Each dish, isn’t just food: it’s a delicious journey into the heart of the harvest, with flavours that stay with you long after the meal is over.
Finish off with a lavender panna cotta that wobbles like a dream, or a citrus parfait with sweet dukkah and honey, or our favourite: chocolate cremeaux with peanut sponge and salted peanut ice cream…leaving you with endless oohs and ahhs.
Enter Max Crawford, Head Chef, leading this farm-to-table triumph.
The Gourmet Loop: Here’s your Itinerary:
Think slow days, full plates, and even fuller glasses. Here’s how to make the most of it –
Day 1: Arrive at Winmark, drop your bags, uncork a chilled bottle of their estate Chardonnay, put your feet up.
Day 2: Check out the fabulous estate, walk through the Winmark’s sculpture trail, browse local produce in Broke, then head to Margan. You could join the tour of their farm, kitchen garden, vineyard and winery. And relax in their hatted restaurant – unhurried and fabulous.
Day 3: Start with a slow breakfast. Remember for every booking you’ll receive a complimentary breakfast hamper and tea during your stay and a bottle to take home. No rush. Just soak in the view.
Why this works for you, a Gourmet Traveller
This isn’t silver platters and stiff service. It’s food with heart, served in a setting that’s grounded, warm, and wildly seasonal. You’ll sip wine between the vines, explore sculpture gardens, and sit down to dishes grown just metres from your table. It’s immersive, fresh, and seriously delicious. The kind of experience that surprises you, nourishes, and stays with you long after you’ve left.
‘If you only have one meal in the Hunter make it at Margan. Almost everything is grown onsite… wonderful, contemporary food. It’s ‘wow’ stuff.” – John Lethlean
Book Your Gourmet Getaway to Winmark & Margan
Whether it’s a romantic getaway for two or a weekend with friends who appreciate the finer things, this is the combo for you. All listed on Travellarks WOW Accommodation – Villa Vino, Rockview, and Mio Monte.
Come for the wine and views, stay for the art, and don’t forget to make a reservation at Margan. Winmark and Margan together offer a truly memorable escape, where the comfort of exceptional accommodation meets the artistry of world-class dining.
