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The magic of Australia’s Hunter Valley and its wines
Discover why Australia’s Hunter Valley is such a treasure trove of high-quality wines and which grape varieties perform best in its unique climate.
Where is the Hunter Valley?
The renowned Hunter Valley wine region lies just northwest of Newcastle in New South Wales, less than a two-hour drive from Sydney. No surprise then it’s a ‘hot’ destination for wine tourists all year round.
And deservedly so, it offers a gourmet’s delight of remarkable wines and delicious food served at the 160 wineries that play host there.
Today, the Hunter Valley is the largest wine region of New South Wales, with around 150 wineries and just over 2,600 hectares of vines. It has the enviable reputation for being both Australia’s oldest, most historic wine region, but also leading the field today in modern, fresh styles. We explore both sides with our range of Hunter Valley wines at Laithwaites.
The Valley’s history
The first vines were planted in the Hunter Valley in the 1823 by James Busby, who brought 500 cuttings with him from Europe and South Africa. Some of Australia’s most famous wine families then settled there and are still thriving today – Tyrrells, Drayton and Wyndham – along with more recent arrivals. You’ll find their wines on our list. Nearly every cellar there remains family owned, keeping their traditions alive while fighting off large corporations mining for gas and coal.
The region celebrates these great family wineries, some of which date back 200 years. But there are also some younger standout cellars like Leogate, initially founded by the great Len Evans over 40 years back and now run by Bill and Vicki Widin. And not forgetting the Margan estate, established in 1996 in Broke by Lisa and Andrew Margan. Today they are joined by their son, Ollie, who brings a new edge to the winemaking. With 90 hectares of vines, they nurture both the region’s classic varieties as well as some quirky originals like Albariño and Barbera. All wines that are well worth trying.
The region has three main subregions, the original and most famous being Pokolbin, where you’ll find top family names like Tyrrell, Tulloch, Drayton and Wilkinson. Less well known and off the beaten track is Lovedale, with more terrific family wineries. Then there’s Broke-Fordwich with just 129 wineries, including Margan estate, centred around the town of Broke and close to the Brokenback Range mountains.
A hot climate producing freshness and finesse – how’s that?
As for climate, who would have thought that one of Australia’s warmest and most humid wine regions could produce such finesse and freshness? Summer days are usually well into the 30s with the bonus of cool nights. The heaviest rainfall comes in autumn, around harvest time. Not ideal. In 2008, two top wineries didn’t produce any red wines at all because of the ill-timed rain. The region receives more than double the annual precipitation of the Barossa. Indeed there were floods in 2007 and, at the other extreme, bushfires in 2002.
What preserves that freshness in its wines is the frequent cloud cover that protects from the fierce sunshine and, despite being inland, the gentle sea breezes. That and growers who pick early to retain acidity.
Hunter Valley’s hero grape varieties
The Hunter Valley was one of the first regions to adopt Chardonnay and show off its prowess. Today its wines span the range from crisp, lean and citrusy to the broader, more generous creamy-oak type.
However, it’s Semillon that it’s best known – whites that can be superbly crisp, lemony and saline in their youth yet, over a decade or two, transform into amazing flavours of lemon curd with honeyed, toasty richness.
They have also adopted a few quirky varieties as mentioned above – Verdelho is a favourite, along with Barbera, Albariño even.
Hunter Valley’s most famous red grape is Shiraz, with some of the oldest Shiraz vines in the world. Again, the region bucks the trend producing not the big, bold style Australia is renowned for. Instead Hunter Valley Shiraz is often described as ‘Shiraz for Pinot Noir wine drinkers’ – midweight with crunchy, fresh cherry fruit with a touch of spice that ages beautifully to take up savoury notes of leather and tobacco.
Explore the rich flavours yourself with our full range of Hunter Valley wines.
We stop at nothing to bring you great wine
For over 50 years, we've gone off the beaten track to bring you great bottles from independent wineries around the world. We taste over 40,000 bottles a year to find the 800 or so that make the final cut. Juicy reds, refreshing whites, tasty rosés, thrilling fizz - you'll find all sorts of hidden gems in our handpicked wine collection.
