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Down Under in the Valley

Australia's Hunter Valley Wine Region

By Jerome Richard

The Hunter Valley produces only 3% of Australia's wine, but because it is the wine-growing area nearest Sydney, it attracts most of the wine tourists.

The valley rises in gentle, irregular steps from the Hunter River to the Brokenback Range, an undulating ridge of gray-green brooding hills to the south and west. It is divided into a lower and upper valley, a good hour's drive apart. Most of the wineries are in the lower valley outside the town of Cessnock. Wild kangaroos inhabit the foothills, but you have to know where to look.

Land along the river is fertile, but away from there the soil is poor and rainfall unreliable, though a harvest downpour is not unusual. Winters (June-September) are mild, but summers can get hot and humid. Irrigation has given rise to some dairy farming.

Australian commercial wine-making began in the Hunter (as Australians call it) early in the nineteenth century, though the exact date and pioneer are uncertain. The honor is often attributed to James Busby who planted grapes on his 2,000 acre grant in the Hunter Valley in 1824. It got a boost when two English doctors, Lindeman and Penfolds, arrived just before mid-century and urged Australians to drink wine rather than rum.  (They also founded wineries in order to help fill their prescription.)

The signature grape of the Hunter is Shiraz, sometimes called Hermitage. This is the same grape as Syrah in France. It produces a hearty red wine, less tannic than Cabernet with which it is often blended. Hunter Shiraz has a more earthy quality than wine from that grape produced elsewhere in Australia, and at its most mellow even takes on a Burgundian character.

Semillon (which the Australians pronounce to rhyme with Babylon) also takes on a distinctive character in the Hunter. When young it is usually light in flavor and the palest gold in color, but as it matures it develops a honeyed quality and darkens to more of a marigold yellow. This happens even when the grapes are not left hanging to develop extra sugar, though it is the variety most often used for a late harvest, botrytised dessert wine.  Australians pioneered blending Semillon with Chardonnay rather than Sauvignon Blanc, its usual partner.

Several Hunter Valley wineries are also experimenting with Verdelho, a white grape native to Madeira. Vinted dry, it produces an aromatic wine with strong herbal and citrus flavors.

Not long ago, Australian wine lovers noticed that there was more wine labeled Hunter Valley than could be accounted for by the vineyards there. The Hunter secret reluctantly came out--producers there were buying grapes from other regions, usually the nearby Mudgee area or the Riverina, a district more hospitable to grapes than to tourists.

One way to tell is whether "Hunter Valley" appears on the label. If so, then 85% or more of the contents must be from Hunter Valley fruit. "South Eastern Australia" covers New South Wales (including Hunter Valley), Victoria, and South Australia.

With some 50 wineries in the Lower Hunter alone, and all within an hours' drive of each other, choosing which ones to visit becomes a matter of selecting a few and visiting others by proximity. All offer tastings and what they call cellar-door sales. Only a few, however, provide regular tours.

The handsomest building and the most California-like operation is The Rothbury Estate. From the modern black and white winery there is a beautiful view across the valley.

Inside, there is a cafe as well as a large tasting and souvenir room.

In the summer (December), Rothbury sponsors a jazz festival.

The largest producer in the valley is Wyndham Estate which bottles nearly 4 million gallons a year. Named for George Wyndham, one of the valley's pioneers who planted grapes here in 1828, the winery and its vineyards are situated across the "New England Highway," a bit removed from the cluster of other wineries in the lower valley. A somewhat barracks-looking row of buildings houses the winery, tasting room, and restaurant. The attractive grounds include a picnic and barbecue area.

The McGuigan Brothers were part-owners of publicly traded Wyndham Estate, but lost it in a hostile takeover to Pernod-Ricard. It was Brian McGuigan who was largely responsible for Wyndham's expansion. In 1992 he set up a new company and has bought several properties in the valley resulting in two new wine labels. Hunter Ridge began production under that name last year. McGuigan Brothers has already met with some success and is now exporting to the United States.

The McGuigan Brothers winery is essentially a warehouse building with a portion set aside as a tasting room. However, it is associated with a new cheese factory, restaurant, and retail center for most of the valley's wines. The complex is known as Hunter Village.

The McGuigan Brothers '93 Shareholders' Chardonnay is a steely wine with a long, silky finish. Vanilla and banana come through on the buttery palate. The Bin 6000 '94 Verdelho is an interesting wine. An intensely aromatic bouquet suggests grapefruit and muscat while the flavors of the dry and slightly viscous wine lean towards pineapple with bracing acidity. (Bin numbers, common to Australian wines, once referred to actual bins in which wines were stored. Now they may identify a style, but the numbers themselves are chosen for their presumed promotional value.) The Bin 4000 '92 Cabernet Sauvignon is processed by a technique called "Vinimatic" that agitates the must for relatively rapid fermentation and color extraction. The result is a softer wine, ready to drink years ahead of more traditional cabernets. This one explodes with plum and black cherry flavors.

Dr. Henry J. Lindeman was one of Australia's wine pioneers. Today, his Hunter Valley winery and vineyard is only one of Lindeman's facilities and the whole is part of the Penfold-Seppelt wine group so that Drs. Lindeman and Penfold are united in a way they never imagined.

Lindeman's Hunter Valley winery is a modest, barn-like building with a small museum and a pastoral view. The name "Ben Ean" over the entrance is one of Lindeman's labels, representing an off-dry style of whites.

In the foothills of the Brokenback, up a dirt road, is a small winery with a big view and some outstanding wines. Briar Ridge has a handsome building appropriate to its surrounding woodlands. Its '94 Semillon has a classic, figgy flavor and is already showing a touch of honey. The Briar Ridge Stockhausen '93 Hermitage is a mouthful both to say and drink. Karl Stockhausen, Briar Ridge's winemaker, only puts his name on the label when he is satisfied the vintage is special. This Hermitage (Shiraz) is in a delicate Pinot Noir style, redolent of cherry blossoms which follow through on the palate.

The Pepper Tree Winery shares a complex with Roberts Restaurant and The Convent guest house. There is a small, but attractive tasting room with the winery in a separate building. The winery was formally owned by Murray Robson and some of his '91 Liqueur Cabernet, a port-style wine, is still around. It has a smooth, jelly richness but is not cloying at all.

Edward Tyrrell planted vinifera in the Hunter in 1858 and you can still see the hut in which he and his wife lived at the time. Tyrrell's is run today by his descendants, but they live much more comfortably. The white stucco winery is set well back from the road. The grounds boast rose bushes, a picnic area, and summer concerts. Tours are provided (but the winery is closed Sundays.)

Everyone will tell you that the back way to the Upper Hunter is the most scenic, but the boring "New England Highway" is the way to go if you want to be sure to get there. Take the scenic route back. The infrequent signs are more helpful in that direction.

There are six wineries in the drier and cooler upper Hunter, and the largest by far is Rosemount Estate. The streamside winery features a small restaurant. Rosemount wines originate in several different areas, but the Hunter Valley staple is Chardonnay. Rosemont Estate's "Show Reserve" Chardonnay is a serious, golden-hued wine. Oak and lees contact contribute to the long-lasting, emollient character of the wine.

This is just a Hunter Valley sampler. There are many more wineries worth visiting, and wines worth drinking.

                                                                  Getting There

The Hunter Valley is about a 2 hour drive north of Sydney. Car rentals are less expensive in Sydney or Newcastle than in Cessnock where the 2 local agencies charge about A$90  a day.

There is also one-a-day bus service between Sydney and Cessnock. Call Batterhams Express at 008 043 339. Cessnock has a small airport served by Yanda Airlines. Call 065 723 100.

Australia, incidentally, is an annoying country to get in and out of. You need a visa. Most of the visa information you provide will need to be repeated on an entry form when you arrive. (Do not bring any agricultural products.) When you leave, in addition to a A$27 departure tax (now added to your air fare), you have to fill out forms asking for much of the same information again. The Australian Tourist Commission number in the United States is: 1-805-775-2000. A useful website is < www.winecountry.com.au >.

                                                                        Touring

A local van tour is offered by Hunter Vineyard Tours which will pick up passengers in Cessnock or Newcastle. Call (02) 4991 1659. Two local comanies offer tours in horse-drawn carriages: Pokolbin Horse Coaches; phone (02) 4998 7305, and Paxton-Brown Carriages: (02) 4998 7362. Hunter Valley Wine Tours, Grape Expectations, Oz Trails, and WonderBus Tours all offer Hunter Valley wine tours starting from Sydney.

                                                                    Guidebooks

The Winelover's Companion to the Hunter by Mike Dunn and Moira Maguire is a useful guide. It is available at bookstores in Sydney and wineries in the Hunter for about A$14.

Almost as useful, and free, is Hunter Valley Wine Country from the Wine Country Visitor Information Centre, Turner Park, Aberdare Rd., Cessnock 2325, NSW, Australia. Phone: (02) 49 90 4477. E-mail:  info@winecountry.com.au . It is also widely available in Cessnock and the Hunter.

                                                              Sleeping and Eating

Cessnock, headquarters for information and provisions, is a charmless town with a handful of restaurants and motels (one of which lists spaghetti on toast as part of its breakfast menu). Most of the wineries, as well as the more interesting places to stay and dine, are in the adjoining township of Pokolbin.

There are more interesting places to stay and eat out among the vineyards. Most notable is Casuarina which has eight fantasy suites--including Victorian, Colonial, Asian, and the honeymooner's favorite: French Bordello. There are also 2 and 3-bedroom accommodations in separate buildings. Recreation includes tennis courts and a saltwater pool. The associated restaurant offers an eclectic Southeast Asian-Australian menu that features a quaint tableside flambé.

The Convent is just what its name indicates: a refurbished, 1910 convent. Much more comfortable now, the 17-room guest house has added tennis courts, swimming pool, and a spa. The nearby Robert's Restaurant is recommended for its Italian-French style meals.

When ordering, remember that what Australians call "entrees" are our starters or appetizers. Our "entrees" are their main courses ("mains").

All photos: J. Richard

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