Whatever else you might think about the arrival of the first fleet on these shores in 1788, you’ve gotta admire the logistics. Eleven sailing vessels carrying around 1500 human beings on a voyage of more than 24,000 kms, lasting 252 days – with just three stops for watering and re-provisioning. The last of these before the long, lonely, lurching leg across the Indian and Southern Oceans, was in Cape Town. There, the fleet stocked up on vegetables, grains, fruit, all manner of poultry and livestock, young trees, plants, berries and... grapevines.
Just three years after arrival, two bunches of grapes were triumphantly snipped from the vines in the Guvnor’s Garden. The celebration was short-lived, however. The soils of Farm Cove in Sydney Harbour proved a hostile environment for grapevines, and they were soon transplanted to a new location near Parramatta. But they – along with other plantings in the Sydney basin – were beset with problems from fungal blight to springtime frosts.
In 1797, a hapless lieutenant, despatched to track down convict absconders, accidentally ‘discovered’ the Hunter River. (Tell that to the Wonnarua people who’d been fishing it for 30,000 years). Timber-getters, coal miners and intrepid viticulturists surged northwards to its lush valley. Pioneering vigneron George Wyndham was one of the first to arrive, establishing his Dalwood property near Branxton. (Dalwood – which was renamed Wyndham Estate in 1970, then re-renamed as Dalwood Estate in 2018 – claims to be the longest running commercial vineyard in Australia. But we digress.) When James Busby – no doubt with the proceeds from his best-selling A Treatise on the Vine and the Art of Winemaking – planted his famous cuttings on land between Branxton and Singleton, the region’s future was set. George and James were soon joined by others who established thriving vineyards, and whose names are still synonymous with the region – Dr Henry Lindeman, Edward Tyrrell, Joseph Drayton, John Tulloch, Owen McGuigan, Audrey Wilkinson, (and later, Maurice O’Shea) to name just a few.
By 1855, Hunter Valley wine had announced itself to the world, taking out medals at the Paris Exhibition, and getting up the noses of Champagne makers by being selected to be served to Emperor Napoleon III at the closing ceremony. Merde!
For several decades, things were tickety-boo in the Valley, but the punishing cycle of war-depression-war, and the fickle palate of Australian consumers, who were demanding more and more fortifieds, forced the region into decline. It remained there until the 1960s, when a small invasion of cashed up, wine-loving Sydneysiders forced a renaissance. Throughout the ’60s and ’70s, vignerons, winemakers and entrepreneurs such as Max Lake, Rudy Komon, Bob Oatley, Len Evans, and James Halliday joined the Hunter Valley stalwarts to reinvent Australia’s oldest wine region. Even Penfolds got into the act, establishing a presence in the Upper Hunter, at Wybong Park, where they grew an exotic mix of varieties, including Riesling, Crouchen, Chasselas, Malbec and Mourvèdre.
The Hunter Valley Wine Zone incorporates just one region, Hunter, which itself contains three sub-regions: Upper Hunter Valley with Muswellbrook at its centre, Broke Fordwich in the foothills of the spectacular Broken Back range, and Pokolbin – the epicentre of the Hunter, and home to many fine and famous wine producers, including Lindeman’s, Tyrrells, McWilliams Mt Pleasant, Lake’s Folly, Brokenwood, Bimbadgen and many more. The Hunter’s hot and humid climate wouldn’t normally get a look-in for fine wine. But afternoon cloud cover helps to mitigate the swelter, while surrounding mountains funnel sea breezes deep into the valley (much like California’s Napa).
The Hunter’s signature varieties are its one-of-a-kind Sémillon (read more about Hunter Sem here), its sweaty-saddle (in a good way!) Shiraz, and its rich, creamy Chardonnays (which are credited with having started The Great Australian Chardy Boom of the late 20th century). Other notable HV varieties include Verdelho, Cab Sauv and Pinot Noir. And all around the rolling hills of the Hunter, young winemakers are experimenting with new styles and alternative varieties such as Fiano, Tempranillo, Cab Franc, Sangiovese and Barbera.
Today, the birthplace of Aussie wine is a thriving gastro-desto with more than 150 vineyards, world-class Cellar Doors (child-friendly, pet-friendly, and common-or-garden-variety-friendly), and fabulous restaurants. In addition to fine dining options, there are bistros, breweries, dairies, olive groves, and a decadent dessert bar for the sweet-toothed. The Hunter is close enough to Sydney for a decent day trip, but far enough away to justify an overnighter, assuming no stay-at-home orders.
The birthplace of Australian wine. You'll discover the incredible ageing capacity of its world famous Semillon and its famed earthy Shiraz.