New South Wales

Oldest wine-growing region (GI)in Australia, 150 kilometres north of Sydney in the federal state of New South Wales. There are two districts, Lower Hunter Valley and Upper Hunter Valley, which are collectively known as the Hunter. The following sub-districts exist: Allandale, Belford, Broke Fordwich, Mount View, Pokolbin and Rothbury. The larger section, the Lower Hunter Valley is regarded as being the „real“ Hunter Valley. William Kelman (1800-1863) and George Wyndham (1801-1870) were the first to plant vines here around 1820. The „father of the Australian wine industry“ James Busby (1802-1871) founded the Kirkton Farm in the Hunter Valley in 1825. The Upper Hunter Valley was planted with vines only 130 years later. The total vineyard area is around 4.000 hectares. The area is planted with the following white varieties: Chardonnay, Sémillon, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Verdelho, as well as with the red varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Shiraz. The climate is hot and humid, and rainfall is often at the wrong time, such as at harvest time, and the soils, too, are not really ideal for viticulture. Nevertheless the region has become famous, in particular for its long-lived white wines such as Sémillon, this used to be known as „Hunter Riesling“ in the past. Excellent white wines are also made from Chardonnay, and among the reds the Shiraz is equally famous. Well-known producers include Allandale, Arrowfield Wines, Brokenwood, Château Pato, Evans Family#Evans, Hungerford Hill Vineyards, Lake´s Folly, Lindemans, McWilliams (Mount Pleasant), Margan Family, Petersons, Reynolds Yarraman Estate, Rosemount Estate, Rothbury Estate, Tulloch, Tyrrell´s Wines and Wyndham Estate.