Hunter valley Wine region

This is Australia's oldest wine region, and certainly one of the best known.

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Some writers, including James Halliday, divide this area into two regions,

1. The Upper Hunter around the towns of Musselbrook, Denman, Aberdeen and Scone
2. The Lower Hunter around Singleton, Cessnock and Maitland.

These are not official regions, officially it is the Hunter Valley Zone which includes the Hunter Region. Broke-Fordwich is a registered subregion.

History of the Hunter region

In the years immediately after European Settlement, the rich agricultural land along the Hunter Valley was quickly developed to supply the nearby settlement of Sydney.

In the early Nineteenth Century Colonial New South Wales needed to find commercial crops to move the colony from being entirely dependent on its status as an offshore prison. Viticulture was an obvious choice as the product was easily exported to the mother country. Under the influence of James Busby the Hunter Region became the focus of the emerging wine industry after the 1820s.

A series of boom and bust, driven by factors both inside the wine industry and the broader economy has unfolded over the past 180 years.  The area planted to vines has fluctuated widely. The last boom peaked in about 2005.  Competing land uses and competition from other Australian regions are now putting on the squeeze and the area under vines is declining rapidly.

viticulture and Varieties in The Hunter valley

The climate in the Hunter Wine Region is warm and humid from a viticultural view, but generations of growers and winemakers have developed some distinctive wine styles. Gladstones believes that the region is able to produce table wines of higher quality than the heat summation data suggest because the temperatures during the last month of ripening are lower than those experienced in regions with similar heat summation.

The outstanding white wine of the region is Semillon, which was formerly known as Hunter Riesling. It was even marketed in a Riesling bottle. Hunter Semillon is a refreshing but unexceptional wine when young but develops into a complex and beautiful wine with age.

The Shiraz of this region is also known for its ageing ability. The list of alternative varieties grown in the region is dominated by Chambourcin and Verdelho, both of which thrive in warmer humid climates.  Barbera is used by a substantial number of winemakers.

Over the past few years a wider range of varieties have been introduced, notably Tempranillo, Sangiovese and the southern Italian whites Vermentino and Fiano.

Many wineries in this region source grapes from cooler regions of New South Wales such as Mudgee and Orange.

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Alternative varieties in the Hunter region 

• Adina Vineyard Arneis, Gamay, Pinot Blanc, Sangiovese, Tempranillo
• Allandale Chambourcin, Gewurztraminer, Sangiovese
• Audrey Wilkinson Arneis, Gewurztraminer, Malbec, Moscato, Tempranillo
• Benwarin Wines Chambourcin, Sangiovese
• Bilgavia Wines Fiano, Tempranillo
• Boydell's Gruner Veltliner
• Briar Ridge Vineyard Albarino, Gewurztraminer, Fiano, Gruner Veltliner, Tempranillo, Verduzzo, Vermentino
• Brokenwood Wines Nebbiolo, Roussanne, Sangiovese
• Brycefield Estate Pecorino
• Calais Estate Chambourcin, Vermentino
• Capercaillie Chambourcin, Durif, Gewurztraminer
• Colvin Wines Sangiovese
• Comyns and Co Gruner Veltliner, Tempranillo
• Dalwood Tempranillo, Touriga
• De Iuliis Montepulciano, Pecorino, Sangiovese, Tempranillo, Touriga
• Dimbulla Tempranillo
• Drayton Family Wines Tempranillo
• Ernest Hill Wines Chambourcin, Gewurztraminer, Tempranillo
• Glandore Estate Gewurztraminer, Malbec, Nebbiolo, Savagnin, Tempranillo, Vermentino
• Greeenway Wines Fiano
• Hart and Hunter Fiano
• Honeytree Estate Clairette
• Horner Marsanne, Picpoul
• Hungerford Hill Corvina, Fiano, Gewurztraminer, Meunier, Tempranillo, Vermentino
• Iron Gate Tempranillo
• Ivanhoe Wines Chambourcin, Gewurztraminer
• Jacksons Hill Vermentino
• Jubilee Wines Chambourcin
• Keith Tulloch Wine Malbec, Marsanne, Roussanne, Tempranillo
• Kelman Vineyard Tempranillo
• Kevin Sobels Wines Chenin Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Petit Verdot, Sangiovese
• Krinklewood Tempranillo
• Latitude 34 Sangiovese
• Leogate Estate Gewurztraminer, Tempranillo
• Meera Park Marsanne, Roussanne
• Mistletoe Wines Sangiovese
• Montebello Estate Orange Muscat, Sangiovese, Vermentino
• Moorebank Vineyard Gewurztraminer
• Mount Eyre Chambourcin, Fiano, Negroamaro, Nero d'Avola
• Mount Pleasant Fiano, Tempranillo, Touriga
• Mount View Estate Durif
• Mount Vincent Estate Sangiovese
• Oakvale Chambourcin, Sangiovese
• Pepper Tree Wines Aglianico, Fiano, Cabernet Franc, Gewurztraminer, Malbec, Tannat, Verduzzo, Zinfandel
• Peter Drayton Wines Barbera, Fiano, Graciano, Montepulciano, Sangiovese, Saperavi, Tempranillo, Touriga, Tyrian, Vermentino
• Pokolbin Estate Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Tempranillo
• Quid Pro Quo Fiano, Gamay, Negroamaro, Nero d'Avola, Sangiovese, Touriga, Zinfandel
• Racecourse Lane Wines Sangiovese
• Scarborough Wine Vermentino
• Silkman Gruner Veltliner
• Stomp Fiano
• Stonehurst Cedar Creek Chambourcin
• Talits Sangiovese
• Tallavera Grove Winery Aglianico, Negroamaro, Sagrantino, Tempranillo, Verduzzo, Vermentino
• Tamburlaine Cabernet Franc, Chambourcin, Malbec, Marsanne
• Tempus Two Arneis, Durif, Gewurztraminer, Graciano, Inzolia, Marsanne, Moscato, Prosecco, Sangiovese, Tempranillo, Zinfandel
• Tinklers Tempranillo
• Travertine Estate Chambourcin, Fiano, Tannat
• Undercliff Chambourcin
• Vinden Estate Alicante Bouschet, Gamay, Tempranillo
• Whispering Brook Arinto, Touriga
• Windsors Edge Tempranillo, Tinto Cao, Touriga
• Wren Estate Gruner Veltliner, Sangiovese, Vermentino
• Wright Family Wines Chambourcin

Buying wine from the Hunter valley

Vinodiversity's online wine partner often has special offers of wine from this region.  You can often get a mixed dozen at bargain prices.

Details here

Visiting the Hunter Valley

Visiting the Hunter Valley is an easy day trip from Sydney.

But why drive? 

There are plenty of tour operators who can do the organising, navigating and driving for you.

Check out these offers

Do you have a wine related business in this region?

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