Location and landscape
The Hunter Valley is a wine region in the Australian state of New South Wales, northwest of Newcastle. The viticultural zone includes the sub-regions of Upper Hunter Valley, Broke Fordwich and Pokolbin. It is located in Australia and is geographically largely defined by the catchment area of the Hunter River.
Climate and soils
The climate is warm and humid. Precipitation, humidity, cloud cover and light sea breezes temper the summer heat; in some years rain also falls during the harvest. The growing season has about 527 millimetres of rainfall and an average January temperature of around 23.1 °C. The landscape ranges from gentle hills and broad valleys to a meandering river landscape. The soils include, among other things, sandy alluvial plains, deep loams, red duplex soils and black silty loams over alkaline clay.
Viticulture and grape varieties
In the Hunter Valley, around 2,605 hectares are planted with vines. The most important grape varieties include Shiraz, Semillon, Chardonnay and Verdelho. Shiraz is associated with red duplex and clay soils, while Semillon is associated with sandy alluvial plains. In the vineyard, among other things, leaf wall management and row nets are used to protect against disease, hail, sunburn, heatwaves and animals.
Wine styles and history
The Hunter Valley is Australia’s oldest wine region. Semillon is often harvested early with low sugar levels in order to preserve its natural acidity. The dry, light and acidity-driven white wine can develop bottled, age-ready flavours of lemon cream, fig, toast and honey. Young Shiraz is usually medium-bodied and shows red and dark berries, spices and soft tannins; Chardonnay ranges from lean, mineral styles to fuller, richer ones. The geographical indication Hunter Valley was entered into the register of protected names on 1 May 1996.
