Wine regions Australia - Hunter

Hunter   New South Wales

The Hunter is one of Australia's most well known, and historically important wine regions. Distinctive styles of Semillon, Chardonnay and Shiraz are the hallmark of this region.

The Hunter Region is the premium wine region of New South Wales.

The region is unofficially divided into the Lower Hunter and Upper Hunter Valley with one official sub-region Broke Fordwich. The greatest concentration of vineyards is in the Lower Hunter between Cessnock and Branxton.

The two main topographical features are the alluvial flats of the valleys and the gently undulating hills. The region is fed by the Goulburn, Hunter, Paterson and Williams rivers.

The region has a hot, humid summer and cool winter.

The capital of the Hunter is Newcastle with many significant towns within the region, including Cessnock, Maitland, Singleton, Muswellbrook, Scone and Murrurundi.

The Hunter Valley's fertile river flats and its close proximity to the first colony at Sydney Cove led to its development as an agricultural region in the early 1800s.

James Busby the man credited with bringing the vine to Australia was associated with the Hunter Valley through his brother-in-law William Kelman. Kelman is thought to be the first to plant vines in the Hunter. George Wyndham planted grapes in 1832. Penfolds bought the property in 1904 naming it Wyndham Estate. Dr Henry Lindeman purchased land around Raymond Terrace in the 1830s. So too did James King whose legacy passed onto Maurice O'Shea who came to the forefront of Hunter Valley winemaking in the 1920s. The area fell into depression for many years, but gradually made a comeback in the early 1960s. Today the region is booming.

The Hunter Valley is famous for its Semillon. Leo Buring a wine merchant in Sydney first sold Hunter Semillon under the popular Rhinegold label in the 1960s. Shiraz is the Hunter's premium red variety. Other varieties grown include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Shiraz, Chardonnay, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc, which have all produced great Hunter wines.

Rothbury Estate opened in 1968 distributed its wine through its club, an unusual marketing practice at the time. The region has many large players as well as many small wineries, many of which are making their mark on the world, among them Brokenwood which took out the coveted "best red" award at the 2001 London International Wine Challenge.

There is a large concentration of wineries in Polkolbin which is also a major tourist destination.

Festivals such as Hunter Valley Harvest Festival, Budfest and Jazz in the Vines have fuelled enormous interest in the region that serves the very large population between Sydney to Newcastle. The recently opened Vintage Hunter, Wine and Visitors' Centre is also serving the industry as well as tourism by profiling the regions facilities and providing accommodation booking services.

Harvest time: late March to late April

Sites with more information: Hunter Valley Wine Country Hunter Valley Wine Industry Assoc. Mount View: Top of the Range Upper Hunter Winemakers

Horse and carriage through the vineyards

Broke Fordwich New South Wales

Broke Fordwich is a subregion of the Hunter. See Broke Fordwich page.

2008 Vintage Report: Hunter Valley

The 2008 Vintage weather in the Hunter Valley has been a test, but this winemaking area has variable harvest conditions from year to year, so it has not really been unexpected by the older winemakers in the community.

The Hunter Valley had some interesting weather changes in 2007, starting with the flooding rains during the long-weekend in June when the Hunter region received about 330mm of rain in 36 hours. As a result of these falls, the subsoil moisture levels in the vineyard were excellent into the start of spring.

Moderate conditions continued through spring and into early summer, with 190mm of rainfall in November, and then a further 150mm in December.

Leading up to vintage, this mild weather allowed for very healthy vineyard growth and the development of a generous crop, approximately 25% higher than in the previous years. Fruit balance was excellent on the vine, with this mild weather producing fine fruit drive and retaining bright acidity.

The significant Hunter white varieties Semillon, Chardonnay and Verdelho reached ripeness at about the same time during the week of 14 January, slightly earlier than usual. The Valley was swept by rain just before picking (recording 117mm between the 18 - 26 January) so the start of harvesting was generally delayed into the next week.

The cooler summer weather has provided a zesty and elegant fruit balance, much in keeping with the elegant vintages of 2004, 2002, 2001 and 1999. The alcohol levels will be slightly lower, but the flavour and varietal definition will still be very positive.

By the end of January, the Hunter region had completed most of the whites except for Botrytis (late-harvest) blocks, and had the anxiety of watching the weather again turn to showers and storms. The area recorded another 150mm of rain in the first 14 days of February. This return of wet weather coincided with the start of the red harvest, and the challenge became the protection of the premium vineyard blocks. The showery weather abated after the 15 February, and the Hunter Valley could finally rejoice in warm, sunny, breezy days that were ideal for red fruit ripening. This dry weather continued until 27 February, and allowed many vineyards to complete the red fruit harvesting.

The consensus is that while the rain has caused early problems in the vineyards, the Hunter has been able to produce smaller premium parcels of excellent Hunter red.

The better varieties have been Shiraz, which again has shown its capacity to cope with such changeable weather, and Merlot which has also been a surprise with its overall quality consistency.

For further information, please contact Christina Tulloch, Secretary of the Hunter Valley Vineyard Association by email at info@hvva.com.au or phone (02) 4991 4533.

Patrick Auld, President
6 March 2008