The Hunter Valley wine region is the jewel of the wine regions in New South Wales. Besides being one of the most important areas in Australian history, the Hunter Valley region is also renowned for its festivals celebrating nature and music, and thousands from Newcastle and other surrounding towns flock into the area every year.
Deep history
James Busby, the man credited with bringing the first European vines to Australia, is said to have brought them back to be planted in Sydney’s botanical gardens in the Hunter Valley region. In those days, the area around Sydney was used for commercial farming, but once the vineyards began flourishing, the focus switched to wine farming in the beginning of the 1830s. Men of stature began buying land in the area and soon the machinery of the wine trade began turning.
Climate and geography
The region’s fertile soil is fed by four rivers: Hunter, Patterson, Goulburn and Williams rivers. The dips of the rivers and the undulating hills of the valleys characterise this area’s geography. Hunter Valley is divided into Upper and Lower Hunter with one sub-region called Broke Fordwich. The biggest concentration of vineyards is in the Polkolbin area and in the Lower Hunter region between the towns of and Branxton and Cessnock. The climate in the region is hot, heavy and humid with a reasonably cool winter.
Wines of the region
The Hunter Valley still grows the grape varieties brought along by James Busby, most significantly the Semillon, which is the premium white variety grown in the region. In fact, Hunter Valley Semillon is regarded as the most unique and interesting wine type in the world. Shiraz is the prominent red variety grown in the Hunter. Other wines doing well in the Hunter region include Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc Chardonnay and Riesling. Traminer and Verdelho are grown in the Broke Fordwich area.
Wineries
Some of the Hunter Valley region’s wineries include Catherine Vale Vineyards, Kelman Vineyards, Mount View Estate and Winbourne Wines.
You’ll find more wineries from Hunter Valley wine region by clicking here: Wineries from Hunter Valley
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