Jodie Brittain

Hunter Valley Wine Growing Region

Hunter Valley wines...the best of.

The Hunter Valley in New South Wales is the birthplace of Australian wine, and home to Australia’s oldest continuously operating winery – Wyndham Estate, established in 1828. It is located 170km north of Sydney and has a winemaking history going back to 1825.

The region encompasses both the Lower Hunter and Upper Hunter Valley, and is fed by the Goulburn, Hunter, Paterson and Williams rivers. The greatest concentration of vineyards is in the Lower Hunter between Cessnock and Branxton, situated on the southern side of a broad and relatively flat valley in the foothills of the Brokenback Range. The majority of hills are not steep, with only a modest gradient.

The climate has a hot, humid summer and cool winter. The growing season has high humidity and rain. However, sea breeze and cloud cover that often rolls into the valley in the afternoons provides a moderating cooling effect. The rain, the humidity, the afternoon cloud cover and weak sea breezes all act to moderate the impact of the heat, which would otherwise make it very difficult, if not impossible, to produce quality table wine in the region. Most of the vineyards are situated in the foothills of the Brokenback Range which have red clay soils, or on the creek flats below them which have sandy soils that are well suited to whites.

The region contains more than 70 wineries and is famous for aged Hunter Valley Semillon and Shiraz. The style of these wines are quite unique both in Australia and around the world. The region also produces excellent examples of Chardonnay. The main varieties grown are Semillon, Chardonnay, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Verdelho. Great Hunter wines have also been produced from Merlot, Pinot Noir, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc.

Semillon

Semillon is regarded as the great wine of the Hunter, and it has international acclaim. Many Hunter Valley wineries produce a Semillon. It is best to let it age in the bottle, and the flavour will develop from a vaguely grassy, lemony youth to a crescendo of honeyed, nutty, buttered toasty palate pleasing richness at 10 to 20 years of age.

Chardonnay

Most Hunter Valley wineries produce a Chardonnay. They are regarded as having a ‘peaches and cream’ character and can vary in richness, complexity and oak characteristics. Opinions are divided on whether these wines improve with keeping. If varietal character is unimportant, then you will find the deep golden, buttery, viscous opulence of aged Hunter Chardonnay extremely satisfying.

Shiraz

The Hunter Valley is famous for its unique Shiraz. The unique climatic conditions of the Hunter Valley produce an inherent varietal character in its Shiraz. Like the Semillon, the Shiraz ages beautifully in the bottle and can be aged for twenty or even thirty years, where it reaches a savoury, velvety maturity.

Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon was reintroduced to the Hunter Valley in 1963, after being ignored for the previous thirty years. Since that time almost every vineyard in the Valley has planted Cabernet Sauvignon vines. Some excellent wine has been produced from the grapes which exhibit varietal character and an idiosyncratic style.

Other

The Hunter Valley produces a large amount of other wines, either as straight varietals or as blends. Verdelho is the most important, in terms of volume.

Article Tags: Hunter Valley, Varietal Character

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