| Hunter Valley wines...the best of. | | | | Verdelho. Great Hunter wines have also been |
| The Hunter Valley in New South Wales is the | | | | produced from Merlot, Pinot Noir, Riesling and |
| birthplace of Australian wine, and home to | | | | Sauvignon Blanc. |
| Australia’s oldest continuously operating | | | | Semillon |
| winery — Wyndham Estate, established in | | | | Semillon is regarded as the great wine of the |
| 1828. It is located 170km north of Sydney and | | | | Hunter, and it has international acclaim. Many |
| has a winemaking history going back to 1825. | | | | Hunter Valley wineries produce a Semillon. It is |
| The region encompasses both the Lower Hunter | | | | best to let it age in the bottle, and the flavour will |
| and Upper Hunter Valley, and is fed by the | | | | develop from a vaguely grassy, lemony youth to |
| Goulburn, Hunter, Paterson and Williams rivers. The | | | | a crescendo of honeyed, nutty, buttered toasty |
| greatest concentration of vineyards is in the | | | | palate pleasing richness at 10 to 20 years of age. |
| Lower Hunter between Cessnock and Branxton, | | | | Chardonnay |
| situated on the southern side of a broad and | | | | Most Hunter Valley wineries produce a |
| relatively flat valley in the foothills of the | | | | Chardonnay. They are regarded as having a |
| Brokenback Range. The majority of hills are not | | | | peaches and cream’ character and can |
| steep, with only a modest gradient. | | | | vary in richness, complexity and oak |
| The climate has a hot, humid summer and cool | | | | characteristics. Opinions are divided on whether |
| winter. The growing season has high humidity and | | | | these wines improve with keeping. If varietal |
| rain. However, sea breeze and cloud cover that | | | | character is unimportant, then you will find the |
| often rolls into the valley in the afternoons | | | | deep golden, buttery, viscous opulence of aged |
| provides a moderating cooling effect. The rain, the | | | | Hunter Chardonnay extremely satisfying. |
| humidity, the afternoon cloud cover and weak sea | | | | Shiraz |
| breezes all act to moderate the impact of the | | | | The Hunter Valley is famous for its unique Shiraz. |
| heat, which would otherwise make it very difficult, | | | | The unique climatic conditions of the Hunter Valley |
| if not impossible, to produce quality table wine in | | | | produce an inherent varietal character in its Shiraz. |
| the region. Most of the vineyards are situated in | | | | Like the Semillon, the Shiraz ages beautifully in the |
| the foothills of the Brokenback Range which have | | | | bottle and can be aged for twenty or even thirty |
| red clay soils, or on the creek flats below them | | | | years, where it reaches a savoury, velvety |
| which have sandy soils that are well suited to | | | | maturity. |
| whites. | | | | Cabernet Sauvignon |
| The region contains more than 70 wineries and is | | | | Cabernet Sauvignon was reintroduced to the |
| famous for aged Hunter Valley Semillon and | | | | Hunter Valley in 1963, after being ignored for the |
| Shiraz. The style of these wines are quite unique | | | | previous thirty years. Since that time almost |
| both in Australia and around the world. The region | | | | every vineyard in the Valley has planted Cabernet |
| also produces excellent examples of Chardonnay. | | | | Sauvignon vines. Some excellent wine has been |
| The main varieties grown are Semillon, | | | | produced from the grapes which exhibit varietal |
| Chardonnay, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and | | | | character and an idiosyncratic style. |