Hunter Valley Wineries. In autumn, wine festivals have taken place. In the winter, reviews are written on new vintage wines and aged wines. So, early spring, during the spring equinox or what’s also known as the vernal equinox, is a good time to shop or summer feasts will be without proper-bodied wine. Plus, this is the time when wineries are discounting. If you’re not a wine club member, this is something to take advantage of.
This year, we’ve picked two places to purchase and two new places to taste including Usher Tinkler Wines and Vinden Wines.
First, a little history
Firstly don’t call the Hunter Valley ‘Hunter Valley’ as it takes its name from the river and the river is named after the second Governor of New South Wales, John Hunter.
Australia has a very developed wine industry with over two thousand wineries in 60 wine regions. The oldest and at the same time one of the most famous winemaking valleys is the Hunter Valley, which is located near Sydney, a part of the wine country known for its handcrafted wines. The first vines in the valley were planted by the ‘father of winemaking’ James Busby in 1824. He taught the locals how to tend the vineyards and make different types of wine. But this was not the first attempt to plant grapes in the area. Less than half a century ago, the first governor of the colony, Arthur Phillip, had already tried to develop the niche of winemaking. He even brought some grape cuttings to the new colony and they were planted in what is now Sydney just days after the first settlers landed. After the harvest was complete, Arthur Phillip wanted to start making wine. But nothing came of his attempt, as there was no one who had any knowledge of winemaking.
Quite unexpectedly for the colonists, grapes did very well in the new land. During the early period of exploration of the continent, Australia was called ‘John Bull’s Vineyard’, a veritable winemaker’s paradise.
As I said above, the winemaker James Busby was a major influence in shaping Australia’s wine sector. Before emigrating to Australia, Busby lived in France, near Bordeaux and studied viticulture at an agricultural school. In 1831, after travelling through Spain and France, he brought to Australia a collection of 543 grape seedlings (of which 363 took root) and planted the first vineyards in the Botanic Gardens in Sydney, and in parallel in Victoria and South Australia. In fact, all modern varieties recognized by wine enthusiasts – from Shiraz and cabernet sauvignon to Riesling and muscat – originate from these first plantings.
By the way, the oldest vines in the world are in Australia, because many winemaking areas managed to avoid the phylloxera epidemic, which in the nineteenth century destroyed the ancient vineyards of Europe.
At first, Australia produced mostly table wines for the British Empire. But by the 1870s, Australian winemakers had already begun winning gold medals for their light, classic European-style wines at exhibitions in Paris and London. By the end of the First World War, South Australia and Victoria were producing large quantities of port, sherry and red wine for export – all of which were popular in the Old World. By the early 1930s, Australia’s exports to Britain surpassed even those of France. But by the end of the Second World War, exports had fallen significantly. The situation of Australian winemaking (especially the fate of quality table wines) became increasingly bleak in the 50s and 60s.
Signpost to Wineries
In the 1970s, interest in table wines increased again and the rise of domestic wine production began. But, after two decades of promising growth, the leaders of the newly born wine industry misjudged world demand and as a result, in the mid-1980s, great wines such as Shiraz and Grenache were phased out – in line with a government plan to reduce overall wine production.
The Hunter Valley lies almost at the latitude of Rabat, the capital of Morocco.
The cradle of Australian winemaking, New South Wales. The Lower Hunter Valley, near Branxton and the mining town of Cessnock, is not known to be an ideal place to grow grapes. It is the northernmost of Australia’s traditional wine-growing regions and has a subtropical climate with consistently hot summers and excessively rainy autumns. Summer skies are often covered in clouds that scatter sunlight. As one knowledgeable person put it, ‘The Hunter Valley cannot be governed, the Hunter Valley governs itself’. More than 67% of the annual rainfall (which is quite high at 750 mm) falls in the first four months, the most important months for winemaking. Thus, the quality of the harvest varies considerably from year to year, and the rapid emergence of wineries is due more to the valley’s convenient location. This ‘mecca’ of wine tourism is only a 1.5-2 hour drive from Sydney. Surprisingly, far to the north, the Hunter Valley was one of the first regions in Australia to focus solely on table wines – perhaps because it has long been home to the people who have been the driving force behind the national wine industry.
Grapes began to be planted in the Hunter Valley in 1828 (at Dalwood, near the river, east of Branxton), but the areas that made the valley’s reputation are to the south, in the foothills of the Brokenback Range.
The eastern slopes have a band of weathered basaltic soils (a sign of ancient volcanic activity) which restrain the vigour of the grapes and often give the berries a distinct mineral flavour.
Semillon
The main pride of the region is Semillon, which is used by local producers to make light, fresh wines with excellent aging potential. In addition to Semillon, white varieties include Chardonnay and, to a much lesser extent, Pinot Gris/Grigio, Verdelho and Gewürztraminer.
Also popular in the Hunter Valley is Australia’s favourite classic black Shiraz, once known as Hermitage, which produces lighter wines and lower alcohol content than, for example, in the McLaren, Barossa or Coonawarra valleys. In addition, Shiraz is also blended with Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon to form blends highly regarded by specialists.
Most of the valley’s wines are mono-blends, as blends have long been considered a sign of cheap wine in Australia. Interestingly, a large number of producers in the Hunter Valley do not export their wines, many do not sell them in any other way than through cellar doors to club members and tourists, this for the average person makes it difficult to choose.
You are invited to visit some of the Hunter Valley wineries with us. This is a weekend trip. We left Sydney at 9 am (late for us ) and got back at 4 pm.
Lake's Folly
Max Lake started his vineyard in the 1960s and was the first to succeed in growing Cabernet Sauvignon grapes in the Hunter Valley in the 1990s.
We chose this boutique winery just for wine tasting for now, as the price per bottle there starts at $65. “Local vin de garage. Garage wine. Exclusive. Small vineyards, small production volumes. And very high prices.” We didn’t come across this wine in wine shops, but connoisseurs rate it quite highly (and there’s a reason for that!). One of the few wineries that still uses cork stoppers (pardon the pun) rather than screwcaps. Produces just three varietals of wine – Chardonnay (2013 vintage scored 97/100 points, only 175 dozen made), Cabernet (2012 vintage scored 92/100 points) and ‘Red Dry’ – a special blend of Shiraz and Cabernet (2012 vintage scored 95/100 points, only 280 dozen made). These wines are bought not only for drinking but also for collection.
The Rothbury Estate
Tyrell's Vineyards
The Tyrrell family has been involved in winemaking since 1858, or rather the year Edward Tyrrell purchased the land and the estate was named Ashmans, in honor of his great-grandmother’s birthplace. The winery itself was laid out in 1863 and the first harvest was taken in 1864. Actually, apparently, to add weight, on the website of this company, you can trace the history of the Tyrrell family back to the early 1000s, when William the Conqueror arrived on the shores of Foggy Albion and one of his companions was a certain Walter Tyrrell. The history of the family can be traced back to the time when one of the Tyrrells (one William Tyrrell) moved to Australia in 1848 and became Bishop of Newcastle.
The outdoor tasting area allows you to appreciate the full panorama of their vineyards. The wines of this winery are quite popular and can be found on the shelves of wine shops.
Brokenwood
The first vintage of grapes was harvested here in 1973, and the products from this winery are consistently favored by connoisseurs. Wines from this winery can be found on the shelves of liquor shops throughout the states. Maybe because of the young age of the winery and the popularity of the wine, we underestimate them as they rise in the rankings year after year.
Tamburlaine
McWilliam's Mount Pleasant Estate
The winery was run for many years by legendary winemaker Phil Ryan and is the home of Mount Pleasant Elizabeth Semillion, which has become one of Australia’s finest brands of high-quality white wines.
In 1880, English immigrant Charles King purchased Old Hill Vineyard on rich volcanic soil in the Pokolbin area. In 1921, the land became the property of Maurice O’Shea, who studied viticulture and winemaking at France’s Montpellier University. In 1932, the McWilliam family, already known for their fortified wines, purchased a half-share of the Mount Pleasant Estate and encouraged Maurice O’Shea to continue winemaking. In 1941, the McWilliam family bought the remaining share of Mount Pleasant and Maurice O’Shea, became head winemaker and manager, making his greatest wines in Australia. Brian Walsh became the estate’s head winemaker in 1956 and in 1967 the famous Mount Pleasant Elizabeth Semillon was born. Since 1978, Phil Ryan has been the head winemaker. In 2002 Mount Pleasant won an unprecedented 7 trophies and 29 medals at the Hunter Valley Wine Show, and in 2004 the 2000 vintage of Mount Pleasant Maurice O’Shea Shiraz tops all others and receives the highest-rated Shiraz in the 2005 edition of James Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion. Phil Ryan has become a living legend in the Hunter Valley and has retired as Chief Winemaker. Jim Chatto took over the position from 1213.
In the tasting room of McWilliam's Mount Pleasant Estate
This is our favorite winery and to my taste, their semillon is the best in the Hunter Valley. Of course, the quality of the wine depends on the year and the weather, so we prefer to purchase our white wine for summer from this particular winery after tasting. So far the most pleasant and unsurpassed for me is MOUNT PLEASANT MARIA LATE HARVEST SEMILLON 2008 with honey color and taste, smells like a bouquet of flowers with apricot and orange notes. And MOUNT PLEASANT ELIZABETH CELLAR AGED SEMILLON 2005 with smoke, just something! For me, this wine will remain a legend. Too bad we couldn’t buy many of them back in the day, and now they are no longer available. Late harvest Semillon and their Semillon ‘Lovedale’ are not produced every year at all.
Small Winemakers Centre
This Winemakers Centre represents several small boutique wineries whose wines are highly rated, and can only be purchased at this centre or by joining the club. This is the second place we chose to purchase wine this year.
The wineries featured at this centre are:
- Thomas Wines – They say Andrew Thomas, a McLaren Vale native since 1989 has worked and studied winemaking at Tyrrell’s, is the new superstar of the Hunter Valley, his incomparable Semillon is simply something to behold. Andrew Thomas has twice won him the title of Winemaker of the Year at the Hunter Valley Wine Awards.
- Hart & Hunter – Wines from Damien Stevens and Jodie Belleville have great potential.
- David Hook Wines – David Hook is a valley native and started making wines at Tyrrell’s Vineyards, the patriarch of winemaking. He continued at Max Lake’s famous Lake’s Folly Vineyards. In the 1980’s David planted his own vineyards and his tiny winery makes small batches of vintage wines. (I personally want his rosé made from Pinot Noir grapes and flavored with strawberries and rose petal aromas. Didn’t buy it this time, but will next time).
- Margan Wines – Andrew Margan is also a ‘pupil’ of Tyrrell’s Vineyards, having worked there for over 20 years and decided to fulfill a long-held dream of launching his own wine brand. (we picked up a few bottles, they were so good).
- Keith Tulloch Wines – Keith Tulloch is the 4th generation winemaker in the valley. He specializes in red wine and has an almost manic attention to detail. He opened his own winery in 1997.
- The Little Wine Company – One of the company’s representatives, Suzanne Little, established her career at Katnook Estate in Coonawarra and was senior winemaker at Rosemount Estate. Her passion is Chardonnay. The company’s second representative, Ian Little, has been a winemaker in the valley for over 25 years. Trained as a biochemist and brewer. He started his winemaking career in South Australia at Reynella Winery in McLaren Vale. In 1983 Ian and his father Michael founded Littles Winery, releasing their first vintage in 1984. since 1996 the couple Suzanne and Ian have been working together. (we also picked up a few bottles of this winery, at the tasting we found their wines very, very interesting)
