The Hunter Valley Wine Region Spotlight

At the start of the year, I visited the Hunter Valley and I was blown away by this incredible wine region. I’d never thought to visit, but I am so glad we made the trip over the New Year’s holiday. Surprisingly, although it may not be as well known as some of its Southern counterparts such as the Barossa, it is one of the most popular tourist destinations for wine in Australia. So I figured I would share my experience and draw on some facts about the region to make up a bit of a Hunter Valley wine region spotlight to help you plan your trip!

The Hunter Valley is hailed as the birthplace of Australian wine and is full of rich history. James Busby planted the first vines in 1832, and some of the oldest Chardonnay vines in Australia are still found in the region (although they aren’t that old). James Busby established the Hunter Valley as a key wine region and in turn put Australia on the map as a grape-growing country.

Where is the Hunter Valley?

The Hunter Valley is quite easy to get to from Sydney or Newcastle. It’s about a three-hour drive from Sydney, or under an hour from Newcastle. This makes it a perfect option for a long weekend from Sydney, or take a couple of days if you want to explore more. We took five days and I felt we only scratched the surface!

You’ll need a car to get around this vast region, so driving there will be your best bet! Don’t worry though, there are plenty of Hunter Valley winery tour options once you’re there so you won’t need to drive when you’re tasting the wine!

The Hunter Valley is really quite large, and you may only tap into one part of it depending on how long you have. It is made of smaller subregions of Broke Fordwich, Lovedale, Mount View, Pokolbin and Wollombi Valley. Each has a slightly different style of wines on offer, so there is something for everyone!

If you are trying to decide, think in terms of the Lower and Upper Hunter. Most of the significant wineries are located in the Lower Hunter with Pokolbin being the real centre of the region. This was the area we stayed in and I found we had so many wineries on our doorstep we didn’t know where to start! However, if you want to explore, the other sub-regions are only a short drive away.

What makes the Hunter Valley special?

Margan Estate

The first thing that makes the Hunter Valley so special is its rich history. From the beginnings of Australian wine in 1823 the wine region expanded to over 500 acres by 1840. By the 19th Century four families that you can still visit today established vineyards in the area: Tyrell, Tulloch, Wilkinson and the Drayton families. Today the Hunter Valley is well-known worldwide for producing a wide array of exceptional wines. Not only as a result of the rich history but also young innovative winemakers who are making a new name for the region.

The warm and humid climate is unique, with the Hunter Valley being considered one of the hottest and wettest wine regions in Australia. This sub-tropical climate and maritime influences makes it perfect for growing unique wine styles such as Semillon, but also some of the best Shiraz due to the red clay loam soils. Younger winemakers are also experimenting now with more Mediterranean varieties, meaning there truly is something for everyone.

So what makes the Hunter Valley so special? Add a bit of history to some unique growing conditions, and you’ve got something that can’t be replicated. This, and some incredible food and scenery, and you’ve got so many great reasons to check this region out!

Key wine varieties of the Hunter Valley

Harkham Wines

The two key wine varieties of the Hunter Valley are Shiraz and Semillon, but it is also known for its Chardonnay. Production in the Hunter Valley is 53% white and 47% red. In recent years more Mediterranean varieties have come to the Valley with new wineries experimenting with different grapes. So even if you aren’t a fan of the big three, there will be plenty for you to enjoy in this diverse wine region.

Let’s dive into these different wines and why they are so special when they come from the Hunter Valley.

Semillon

The Hunter Valley is known the world over as the best Semillon region period. Hunter Valley Semillon is a white wine that thrives in the climate of the Hunter Valley, along with the sandy soil. It is best picked early to make a low alcohol wine with ripe flavours at low sugar concentrations. The great thing about Semillon is that it responds well to bottle age. Young Semillon will exhibit a lot of acidity with lemon and lime flavours. However, as it ages, you’ll get a great toasty complexity. It completely changes wine from what it was when young, giving you a new drinking experience!

Chardonnay

The Hunter Valley was one of the first regions in Australia to grow Chardonnay. Hunter Valley Chardonnay tends to have a lot of acidity with peach and citrus flavours from the warm climate. However, you can still get those richer styles thanks to oak. Despite Semillon often taking the spotlight, be sure to try some of the great Chardonnay on offer too!

Shiraz

Hunter Valley Shiraz is medium-bodied, full of savoury flavour and great with food. You’ll find a whole heap of spice and red and dark berries in these wines. They are great for ageing as with this they become far more complex with leathery overtones and earthy flavours. Think smooth, rich and complex flavours that leave you wanting more.

Where to find them

Tamburlaine Wines

The reason for my confusion about the Hunter Valley being so very popular with tourists is that I find in general it isn’t easy to find wines from this region in bottle shops. Where you’ll see plenty of wines from the Yarra Valley, Tasmania and Barossa, I don’t often see wines from the Hunter Valley. Although you can find some of the big names in most bottle stores such as Brokenwood and Tyrells, finding those smaller wineries can be more difficult.

Your best bet for finding Hunter Valley wine is to either buy online or visit the wineries and pick up your favourite bottles. This approach will reward you with wine that you know you’ll love! I almost like that it is a little harder to find, as it makes the wine that much more special!

What to expect when you visit

Usher Tinkler Wines

The Hunter Valley has so much wine to offer, but a visit to the area also has the ingredients for a perfect getaway. There are incredible restaurants, beautiful scenery and plenty of activities to do that don’t involve wine if that’s your thing.

If you are a wine lover like me, you’re going to have a hard time deciding on which wineries to visit. With over 150 cellar doors, it can be hard to know where to start! I’d recommend doing your research before you arrive and working out which wineries sound most like you. There are so many on offer, so whether you prefer traditional wineries, organic, or something new and different, you’ll be able to find it all here!

There are also plenty of tour options to get you around, which I highly recommend so you can sample to your heart’s content. We opted for a bus tour which was great as we learnt a lot about the region on it and tried some wineries we hadn’t thought to try. But there is also a hop-on, hop-off bus for a more affordable option. There are even e-bikes available for hire to get you from A to B! We didn’t do this as it was peak summer when we were there, but I’m sure in the cooler months this would be a great option for getting around.

Where to stay

I wrote all about where we stayed in this article, but I just wanted to talk through a few of the other options. There are so many places to stay in the Hunter Valley depending on your budget and how many people you have. Firstly, there are a few larger hotels around the Pokolbin area if you want the full resort experience. You could also opt for one of the many little cottages scattered around that are available for hire.

We ended up opting for an Air BnB and found that there were so many available. This was the perfect option for a big group, and I think the prices were quite reasonable. Just make sure you pick one that is central to the wineries. Ours was located in Pokolbin and had so many wineries nearby, making it the perfect base for exploring the region. I did notice some of them were a little further away, or in between clusters of wineries, so may not be as convenient.

If you want the full experience, try staying in one of the wineries! A lot of the wineries do have accommodation, and depending on how much you want to spend, looked absolutely beautiful. We did stay next to a cellar door but it wasn’t a working winery. It was still so much fun though! You can also get some great recommendations from the staff for your stay, and who knows, they might even bring around a bottle or two for you to sample. Or maybe we were just incredibly lucky!

Food

We had so many incredible meals in the Hunter Valley. There truly is something for everyone and all budgets. Whether you want a full degustation or a picnic platter, you’ll be able to find it at one of the restaurants, cafes or vineyards.

A lot of the wineries do have some sort of food option, whether it is a restaurant or some meat and cheese boards. I recommend looking up where you are going beforehand and planning out your day around where you want to eat. With so many places to discover, you’ll want to know what your hit list is.

A couple of my favourites:

• Margan Restaurant – focusing on fresh regional produce, this was definitely a highlight of the trip for me
• Brokenwood Cru Bar and Pantry – for incredible pizzas and easy lunches, the new Brokenwood cellar door has fantastic options that won’t cost you an arm and a leg
• Muse Kitchen – we couldn’t fit in the famous Muse Restaurant so opted for lunch at Muse Kitchen. It was a great meal and they do an affordable lunch set. However, if you want something truly special, head to Muse for a degustation

I should also recommend that if you aren’t keen on driving, try focusing on having nice lunches, then get some supplies to cook dinner at home. We did this with a big shop at the supermarket before we left Newcastle and it worked really well. It meant that after a day of wine tasting you could settle in with a bottle or two and enjoy a nice homecooked meal. I would especially recommend this if you are far away from restaurants because the roads are quite dark at night so it can be hard to navigate, and there aren’t many taxis around.

Other activities

There are so many other activities to do in the region. Whether it is riding e-Bikes on the new cycling paths, horse riding or sky diving, there is something to suit everyone. You could also visit the Hunter Valley Garden which does cost money to go into but did look quite beautiful from the outside.

For those that want to unwind, there is a golf course, plenty of spas and a lot of cheese and chocolate to taste. You could also check out some of the galleries in the area.

Although we focused on wine, we also loved the scenery. We loved driving around and exploring the region, taking it all in.

The Cheeky Vino highlights

Brokenwood

I’ve written about my favourite cellar doors in the Hunter Valley in this article, but here are some of the highlights for me:

• Usher Tinkler – if you’re after something different, Usher Tinkler is where you need to go. Set in an old church, their wines are different and unusual, and their Shiraz was incredible!
• Gundog Estate – We absolutely loved the wines from Gundog Estate, and as they have another winery outside of Canberra it meant you could try different wines and taste the change in flavour
• Harkham Wine – We loved Harkham wines! They produce really interesting natural wines, and I absolutely loved the atmosphere!
• Tulloch – Tulloch is a bit of an institution, and they have the wine tasting list to match. I really enjoyed their cellar door, especially the pastry shop in the bottom. They had such a wide range of wines to try as well!
• Audrey Wilkinson – Go here for the best views in the Hunter Valley. Audrey Wilkinson had a beautiful cellar door, and I really enjoyed their wines
• Glandore Estate – We did a chocolate and wine pairing here and it was absolutely incredible. The staff were so knowledgeable and I thought it was one of the best tasting experiences we had. The wines were delicious too!
• Margan Estate – Come for lunch and stay for a tasting. Margan Estate has the most beautiful cellar door, and their wines were so varied. All delicious as well!
• Scarborough Estate – Scarborough offers a different tasting experience which I really enjoyed. Their wines were quite interesting and they had a beautiful view from their back lawn!
• Brokenwood wines – I didn’t love the tasting experience as much at Brokenwood, but it is a must-see due to their recent redevelopment. The cellar door is architecturally stunning and worth a look just to experience it!

The final word on the Hunter Valley

I hope this guide to the Hunter Valley has helped you learn a bit more about this incredible Australian wine region. Whether you are a fan of Shiraz and Semillon or not, the Hunter Valley has something for everyone. New winemakers have brought new and different wines to the valley that are seriously kicking goals. And with over 150 cellar doors to discover, you certainly aren’t going to run out of wine to try!

Whether it is a weekend away or two weeks, you could easily spend as little or as long as you like in this incredible region. With its beautiful scenery, incredible food and delicious wine, you’ll be in for a treat! And make sure you have room in your suitcase for the bottles you want to bring home – I know we had to increase our luggage allowance because we had so many!