The Single Suitcase Wine and Food Pairing is a seated Italian afternoon in the Barrel Room at Saddler's Creek Wines in Pokolbin. Six small batch Italian varietals, sourced from premium vineyards across the Hunter Valley and the rest of Australia, each matched to a plate from our Venetian-trained chef. It is the Laureti family way of eating, good food and good wine together, made into an afternoon.
📅 Wednesday to Saturday from 12:00pm, Thursday 1st October 2026 to Saturday 16th January 2027
📍 Barrel Room, Saddler's Creek Wines, Pokolbin
🍷 A six-course Italian wine and food pairing, six Single Suitcase wines matched plate by plate
An Italian afternoon in the Hunter Valley
This is the long table, slowed right down. Four days a week from October, the Barrel Room is set for six courses and six Italian wines, with time between each one to actually talk. Spring and summer in Pokolbin are made for it, warm afternoons, an early lunch, and no reason to rush anywhere afterwards.
Six Italian wines, six plates from Chef Chiero
You move through six courses, white to red. Each wine is poured beside the dish designed for it, and your host walks you through why the match works. Chef Chiero is Venetian-trained, and the menu is Italian at its core, the same kitchen behind Mangia at Saddler's.
What is the Single Suitcase series?
The brand is named to honour those who arrived in Australia from Europe in the 1950s carrying a single suitcase and their hopes for a better life. The Laureti family came out from Abruzzo, Italy in 1955. These small batch and limited release varietals pay homage to our Italian heritage and the entrepreneurial spirit. To craft the ideal wine for each varietal, we source the grapes from premium vineyards throughout the Hunter Valley and the rest of Australia. The Pecorino is from Brycefield Vineyard and the Sangiovese from Racecourse Lane, both here in the Hunter Valley, and the Fiano is Hunter Valley fruit too. The Montepulciano and Barbera come from McLaren Vale, and the Nero d'Avola from the Adelaide Hills.
The menu
Menu subject to seasonal changes.
What is on in the Hunter Valley this spring and summer
The Single Suitcase Wine and Food Pairing runs Wednesday to Saturday from 1st October right through to 16th January, so it sits in the middle of every Hunter Valley long weekend between now and the new year. Make a weekend of it. Friday Wine and Chill brings live music to the cellar door, and Mangia at Saddler's is open for Italian-inspired food from the same kitchen.
Plan your visit to Saddler's Creek in Pokolbin
Saddler's Creek Wines is in Pokolbin, in the heart of the Hunter Valley, about two hours from Sydney and forty minutes from Newcastle Airport. There is parking on site, and taxis and Ubers are available locally if you would rather not drive. The pairing is held in the Barrel Room, which is indoors and climate controlled, so it stays comfortable on the hottest afternoons and runs whatever the weather. Come as you are, most guests dress smart casual.
Single Suitcase Wine and Food Pairing FAQs
What is the Single Suitcase Wine and Food Pairing?
It is a guided six-course experience where each Single Suitcase Italian wine is served with a small plate built to match it. You taste the wine, then the food, then the two together, and feel how each one lifts the other. It runs about 90 minutes in the Barrel Room.
How far is Saddler's Creek from Sydney?
About two hours by car from Sydney, and forty minutes from Newcastle Airport. We are in Pokolbin, in the heart of the Hunter Valley. There is parking on site, and taxis and Ubers run locally if you would rather not drive.
Where do the Single Suitcase wines come from?
We source the grapes from premium vineyards throughout the Hunter Valley and the rest of Australia. The Pecorino is from Brycefield Vineyard and the Sangiovese from Racecourse Lane, both here in the Hunter Valley, and the Fiano is Hunter Valley fruit too. The Montepulciano and Barbera come from McLaren Vale, and the Nero d'Avola from the Adelaide Hills.
Do I need to book ahead?
Yes, please book ahead. Each session holds up to 20 guests and the Barrel Room fills, especially on weekends. Booking closes the day before, so secure your spot early rather than risk a sold-out session.
What is on in the Hunter Valley this spring and summer?
Plenty. The Single Suitcase Wine and Food Pairing runs Wednesday to Saturday from October through to mid January, an easy centrepiece for a weekend in Pokolbin. Friday Wine and Chill brings live music to the cellar door, and Mangia at Saddler's is open for Italian-inspired food.
Is there a Club Equus member price?
Yes. Tickets are $75, or $65 for Club Equus members. Membership is free to join and you will receive member pricing on experiences like this one throughout the year. You can join at the cellar door or online before you book.
Is it indoors if it rains?
Yes. The pairing is held in the Barrel Room, which is indoors and climate controlled, so the experience runs whatever the weather. It stays cool on hot Hunter Valley afternoons and dry when the summer storms roll through.
Can you cater for dietary requirements?
In most cases yes. Tell us when you book, in the dietary requirements field, and Chef Chiero will do what he can with the menu. Give us as much notice as possible so the kitchen can plan. The experience is for guests aged 18 and over.
At the table
At the table
The Laureti Way
Saddler's is more than just a winery, it's a Hunter Valley destination we created for bringing people together over good food and wine, family hospitality the Laureti way. The live music, the food from Mangia at Saddler's, the picnic grounds where families gather, they all exist because the point was never just the wine, it was the connection around it. This is a place for making memorable occasions over a glass, the kind you remember long after the glass is empty.
Wine crafted with heart and soul, made for sharing.
Wendy Laureti
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