Hunter Valley is one of Australia's most famous and oldest wine regions. It is located in New South Wales, about 2 hours (120 kilometers) north of Sydney. The region is divided into two main areas: Lower Hunter and Upper Hunter, each offering unique terroirs and climates for viticulture.
When James Busby imported his collection of over 400 vine types in the 1830s, he planted cuttings in the Sydney Botanic Gardens as well as many of the same varieties, though perhaps not all, at his brother-in-law’s Hunter property, Kirkton. This was also around the time that plantings took off in earnest, with the land under vine rapidly swelling to over 200 hectares by 1840.
In the latter half of the 19th century, some the Hunter’s most famous names – Wilkinson, Lindeman, Tulloch, Tyrrell, Drayton – established their holdings, while a vineyard in Pokolbin planted by Charles King in 1880 would later form the core of the estate of one of this country’s greatest vignerons and visionaries. That site is the Old Hill Vineyard and it was bought in 1921 by Leontine O’Shea, along with an abutting parcel, at the urging of her 24-year-old son, Maurice.
There is no doubt that Maurice O’Shea’s tenure at Mount Pleasant represents one of the most significant episodes in Australian wine, and the ripples are felt even now. O’Shea championed table wines when fortified wines were king. He carefully blended across varieties – including his iconic blending of pinot noir and shiraz – to make wines of a desired weight and aromatic detail, rather than lumping varieties in together indiscriminately.
Grape Varieties
Semillon: The region's signature white grape, producing world-class, age-worthy wines with citrus and honeyed characteristics as they mature.
Shiraz: The hallmark red grape, known for its medium-bodied wines with flavors of dark fruits, spice, and earth.
Chardonnay: Producing wines with a range of styles, from fresh and crisp to rich and oaked.
Cabernet Sauvignon: Grown in smaller quantities, often blended with other varieties to add complexity.
Iconic Producers
- Tyrrell's Wines: Established in 1858, one of the pinnacles families in Australian winemaking.
- Brokenwood Wines: Founded in 1970, celebrated for its Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz.
- Mount Pleasant: Maurice O'Shea one of the most influential figures in our wine history.
- Lakes Folly: One of the cult wineries in the region, famous for its Chardonany and Cabernet.
Today, the Hunter has fought to rebuild itself, and do so on largely classical lines. The great estates of Mount Pleasant and Tyrrell’s are making Semillon, Shiraz and Chardonnay of supremely high quality, from everyday bottlings to refined classics, while there is a new guard both fine-tuning and innovating. Additionally, a history smudged somewhat by corporate winemaking and brand building is being restored.
