Hunter Valley wine

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Coordinates: 32°46′57″S 151°17′51″E / 32.78250°S 151.29750°E / -32.78250; 151.29750
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Hunter Valley
Shiraz, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Verdelho

The

Shiraz, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Verdelho.[1]

Under Australia's wine

Broke Fordwich and Pokolbin subregions. The Lower Hunter Valley is not strictly defined, but in general includes the Pokolbin subregion, along with the districts around Wollombi, Mount View, Cessnock and Lovedale.[3] Much of the history of Hunter was played out in this area and it is generally what is referred as the Hunter Valley "wine country".[1]

The majority of the Hunter Valley's most prestigious vineyards are located on the southern valley and foothills of the

irrigation for areas such as the Upper Hunter that can be prone to drought condition.[1][5]

The success of the Hunter Valley wine industry has been dominated by its proximity to Sydney with its settlement and plantings in the 19th century fuelled by the trade network that linked the valley to the city. The steady demand of consumers from Sydney continues to drive much of the Hunter Valley wine industry, including a factor in the economy by the tourism industry.[1][4]

Wine zones of Australia. Hunter Valley is the dark green near the east coast.

History

The wine-making history of Hunter Valley begins with the European settlement of the Sydney and the New South Wales region of Australia in the late 18th century as a penal colony of the British Empire. The Hunter River itself was discovered, by accident, in 1797 by British Lieutenant John Shortland as he searched for escaped convicts. The region soon became a valuable source for timber and coal that fuelled the steamship trade coming out of Sydney.[4]

Grapevines were planted in Sydney soon after its discovery in 1788 and as settlements fanned northward up towards the Hunter, government authorities actively encouraged plantings as a means of promoting both public sobriety and safety. The logic behind the promotion of

highly alcoholic spirits. If enough wine was provided, it was believed, it could be a moderate influence that could tame the "savagery".[6]

It was under these auspices that the grapevine followed land prospector John Howe as he cut a path through the Australian wilderness from Sydney up to the overland area in what is now known as the (Lower) Hunter Valley proper in 1820. Today, the modern Putty Road between the cities of Windsor and Singleton follows Howe's exact path and is a major thoroughfare for wine tourists coming into the Hunter Valley from Sydney.[4] As previous plantings in the coastal areas around Sydney succumbed to the humidity and wetness, and plantings to the west were limited by spring frost damage, northern reaches leading to the Hunter became, almost by default, the wine region of the new colony.[7]

James Busby and further plantings

James Busby brought to the Hunter Valley plantings from Europe and South Africa.

The first major planting in the Hunter Valley came in 1825 when

William Kelman
.

In the 1830s, several vineyards were planted in the Hunter Valley, including the first vineyards by

George Wyndham of Wyndham Estate, many with cuttings directly provided by Busby at Kirkton. In 1847, the Hunter Valley Viticulture Society was founded with the mission of expanding viticultural knowledge and improving techniques in the region. By the end of the decade, plantings had expanded from 80 ha (198 acres) to over 200 ha (494 acres). Between 1866 and 1876 the region saw further expansion as the acreage of planted vines topped 1800.[1]

Most of the early vineyards of the Hunter were located in the northeast section of the valley in the fertile alluvial plains along the Hunter River. The river provided easy transport of the wine down to the seaside port of Newcastle and onto Sydney. By the 1860s, plantings began to move further south and west towards the foothills of the Brokenback range near Pokolbin and Rothbury where many of the most highly esteemed vineyards of the Hunter are now found.[7]

Mid-19th century to early 20th century

In the mid 19th century, wines from the Hunter Valley began to garner international acclaim. In 1855, at the

French Champagnes to win the honour of being served at the table of Emperor Napoleon III during the exhibition's closing ceremonies.[7]

The expansive growth of the Hunter Valley in the mid to late 19th century came directly from its monopoly position of the lucrative Sydney market. The provincial government of New South Wales had enacted regulations that placed prohibitive duties on wines from other areas such as Victoria and South Australia. This had the effect of limiting any competition for Hunter Valley winemakers in Sydney. But the turn of the 20th century brought a shifting dynamic to the Hunter Valley wine industry as the provinces on the Australian continent became federated into states and a new constitution was drafted that banned such interstate trade barriers.

fortified ports, muscats and sherry signalled a period of steep decline for the Hunter Valley.[8]

Following World War I, many returning Australian veterans were given land grants in the Hunter Valley. This temporarily produced an up-tick in plantings but the global

Wyndham that would later become driving forces behind the Hunter Valley's next boom period.[9]

Another pivotal figure during this period was Maurice O'Shea of Mount Pleasant vines in the Pokolbin area. While many producers in Australia were focusing on fortified wine, O'Shea continued to espouse the virtue of Australian dry table wines. O'Shea's foresight would pay off as consumer taste shifted towards drier styles of wine in the 1950s and 1960s.[4] A flurry of plantings began in the Hunter, including 1963 establishment of Lake's Folly by a Sydney surgeon, Dr. Max Lake. Along with Rudy Komon, Johnny Walker and wine columnist Len Evans, who all believed in the future of the Australian wine industry, Lake begin to extensively plant red wine varietals, including the reintroduction of Cabernet Sauvignon to the Hunter Valley.[10]

1960s to present-day

Chardonnay production in the Hunter Valley was a major part of the Australian wine boom of the 1990s.

In the 1960s, a Sydney wine merchant named Leo Buring began marketing the first commercially successful Hunter Valley Semillon under the label "Rhine Gold".[9] In 1971, Murray Tyrrell released Australia's first commercial bottling of Chardonnay which signalled the beginning of the Australian Chardonnay craze. According to wine experts Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson, Tyrrell's Vat 47 Hunter Valley Chardonnay was the wine that "launched a million bottles."[2] From 1956 to 1976, plantings in the Hunter Valley grew from 466 ha (1,150 acres) to over 4,100 ha (10,000 acres). Despite a slight reduction during the global recession of the 1980s, the Australian wine boom of the 1990s pushed plantings even further to over 4,600 ha (11,000 acres).[1]

While the Hunter Valley has been supplanted by the massive Riverina wine region as the largest producer of New South Wales wine, it still accounts for around 3% of Australia's total wine production and is one of the country's most recognisable regions. Today there are over 150 wineries in the Hunter, producing a wide range of wine.

Climate

While the Hunter Valley is usually grouped in with the rest of Australia as having a

Napa Valley receives from San Pablo Bay in California.[2] Without these cooling breezes, quality wine grape production would be nearly impossible. However, with those cooling breezes also comes heavy rainfall and periodic cyclonic storms in the summer and autumn months.[1]

In the summer, the average daily temperature regularly exceeds 21.1 °C (70.0 °F) while during the winter the temperature averages around 14 °C (57.2 °F).

Winkler heat summation scale as a Region IV.[7]

Mid-latitude westerly winds bring high pressure weather front that alternate with cold fronts on the winter. This leads to generally drier conditions in the winter months of July and August. In the summer, southeasterly winds bring weather fronts harbouring extensive amounts of moisture.

viticultural hazard, though the inverse problem of winter drought can also be a problem.[7] The rain, coupled with the heat, encourages high relative humidity in the region and subsequent threat of mould. During the growing season months of October–April, the 3pm average for relative humidity in the Lower Hunter is 49%, while it is 43% in the Upper Hunter.[4]

Wine regions and subregions

The Hunter Valley Wine Zone

Pacific Highway. The Hunter region has three subregions.[14]

The three recognised subregions of the Hunter Wine Region are Broke Fordwich (registered 2 September 1997),[15] Pokolbin (registered 29 July 2010)[16] and Upper Hunter Valley (registered 29 July 2010).[17]

Broke Fordwich

Broke Fordwich
Wine region
Vineyards in the Broke Fordwich area
TypeAustralian Geographical Indication
Year established1997
CountryAustralia
No. of vineyards50[18]
Varietals producedSemillon, Chardonnay, Shiraz
No. of wineries16[18]

Broke Fordwich surrounds the towns of Broke, Fordwich and Bulga.[19]

Some of the oldest vines in the Hunter Valley were planted in 1924 around the village of Fordwich. The Broke Fordwich subregion is between the Upper Hunter Valley to the northwest and the lower Hunter Valley (including Pokolbin) to the east.[18] Broke Fordwich is sheltered on the south side of the valley on the Fordwich Sill volcanic red clay and nearby free-draining alluvial soils and sandy loam. It has lower rainfall and higher diurnal temperature variation than Pokolbin.[20]

The Broke Fordwich area is located along the Hunter River tributary of the

convicts were shuttled through to work in the coal mines of Cessnock.[21] In September 1997, it was granted official sub-region status of the Hunter Valley. For most of the Hunter Valley's history, Broke Fordwich was noted for the quality of its fruit. Max Lake, of Lake's Folly, noted in 1970 that "Much of the reputation of Pokolbin rests with fruit from Fordwich".[9]

The Broke Fordwich subregion includes the communities of

continental influences due to extenuating foothills of the Brokenback range that particularly encircle the area and block many of the breezes coming off the coast.[9]

Broke Fordwich accounts for around 14% of all the Hunter Valley's plantings. More than three-quarters of the vineyard land in the area is dedicated to

Traminer, Barbera, Trebbiano, Viognier, Sangiovese, Tempranillo and Dolcetto.[9]

Pokolbin

Pokolbin
Hunter wine region

The Pokolbin subregion, which surrounds Pokolbin provides most of the grapes known as "Lower Hunter Valley". It covers an area including and west of the road between Cessnock and Branxton, but stops short of both of those places. The eastern boundary is Black Creek east of that road, and the western boundary is the Pokolbin State Forest.[22]

The area includes numerous wineries, ranging from large multi-national to small family run operations, which are a popular tourist destination. In addition to long-established names like Drayton,

Shiraz and Sémillon still dominating but extensive plantings of Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and the occasional plot of Pinot noir can be seen.[23]

Despite hot summers and freezing winters with frequent frost presenting a constant challenge to vineyard managers and winemakers, the area is a successful wine growing region thanks to mountains that encircle three sides of the valley, the cloud cover, and afternoon easterly sea breezes which, during summer, help to mitigate the blazing sunshine and keep humidity moderated on the valley floor. Soil types vary from rich red volcanic soil from the long-extinct volcano of Mount View and sandy loam which benefits most white varieties. The red volcanic soil is found mostly on the southern ridges. However, it can be found in patches on the valley floor.

Over the decades, the style of Hunter whites and reds has changed vastly, from robust, muscular reds exhibiting the famous Hunter Valley "sweaty saddle"[further explanation needed] and extraordinarily long-lived Semillon whites to reds showing more fruit, complexity and delicacy and whites exhibiting fruit-driven characters.

Upper Hunter Valley

Upper Hunter Valley
Wine region
TypeAustralian Geographical Indication
Year established2010
CountryAustralia
Location32°24′S 150°42′E / 32.4°S 150.7°E / -32.4; 150.7
Heat units2070[24]
Precipitation (annual average)530 millimetres (21 in)[24]

The main town in the Upper Hunter Valley subregion is

Muswellbrook. The Upper Hunter Valley is the most northern and western subregion of the Hunter region, on higher slopes of the Hunter Valley.[25]

The Upper Hunter region was first planted in 1860 by a German settler named Carl Brecht. From his vineyard planted at the junction of

grape varieties.[1]

In comparison to the Lower Hunter, the Upper Hunter receives less overall rain (620 mm (24 in) annually to Lower Hunter's 720 mm (28 in)). As the vast majority of this rainfall takes place during the late summer and early autumn, irrigation is a necessity for many vineyards during the early growing season of the spring and summer. Being further inland, the Upper Hunter receives less maritime influence from the cooling sea breezes and has a much hotter heat summation with 2170 degree days (Celsius) to the 2070 degree days generally seen by the Lower Hunter.[1]

Several small wineries operate in the region.[26] The Upper Hunter has experienced a decline in vineyard area since the withdrawal of large wine producers Rosemount and Arrowfield from buying large quantities of Upper Hunter grapes early in the 21st century.[27]

Viticulture

Thin-skinned grapes like Semillon are prone to developing various rots. Some, like Botrytis cinera (pictured), can be desirable and used to produce dessert wines known as "stickies".

Like most

yields as they wish. To that extent, there is a wide range of viticultural practices seen in the Hunter Valley though some commonality does occur.[11] As with many areas of Australia with labour shortages, viticulture in the Hunter is highly mechanised with machine harvesting the norm and experiments in mechanical pruning and leaf pulling also widely practised. Harvest usually takes place from mid-January to early March.[6]

The high humidity and propensity for harvest rains leads many growers to use open

canopy management techniques and trellising as well as frequent leaf pulling in order to keep mould and rot at bay. Some examples of vine training systems found in the Hunter including the Scott Henry, Smart-Dyson and V-Trellis. In the Upper Hunter, the Vertical Shoot Positioning (VSP) is often used in areas that have problem with sunburn.[1] Despite the generally wet climate, irrigation is often used in the slightly drier Upper Hunter where the winter and early growing seasons are prone to drought.[6]

Hazards

The chief viticultural hazard in the Hunter Valley is the threat posed by vintage season rains. Site selection on well drained soils are considered of vital importance and much effort is put into ensuring the canopy is open so air flow can help dry the grapes off.

grey rot.[28]

In the late 1990s, research in Hunter Valley vineyards discovered that a wide range of pathogens caused various occurrences of

sugar levels. Further research in the 2000s, showed that some of the open canopy techniques used to prevent Botrytis grey rot may actually promote the development of some of these other types of rot. Ripe rot, in particular, seemed to thrive at the higher ultraviolet B (280–320 nm) light exposure that open canopies allow. To compound the potential problem for Hunter Valley wine growers is that, as of 2010, there wasn't any fungicides registered for use for this disease.[28]

Other concerns

Kangaroos that like to feed on the tender buds and shoots of grapevines can be an occasional vineyard nuisance.

The unique environmental pressures of the Hunter Valley also conspire to give growers problem with "dieback diseases" that damage the wood parts of the vine and eventually lead to death. While the fungus

Eutypa dieback is rarely observed in the variety. Vines suffering from Eutypa die-back and bot canker exhibit similar wood symptoms and similarly experiences reduce growth and yields. A major difference between the two is that bot canker do not exhibit the same outward foliage symptoms that Eutypa die-back leave on the leaves and buds of the vine.[29]

In addition to the pests noted above, vineyards in the Hunter Valley are usually grafted on phylloxera resistant rootstock to help keep the louse at bay. During the growing season kangaroos are frequent threats to the young buds and shoots of grapevines, requiring tall barb wire fences to keep the hopping creature out. Ever present nuisances near harvest time are the frequent birds that descend upon the area.[11]

Grape varieties

The most widely planted grape varieties in the Hunter Valley, in descending order, are

oaky flavours with peaches and cream notes.[7]

Shiraz grapes growing in the Hunter.

James Busby's collection is the likely origin of Hunter Valley Shiraz and today the Hunter Valley is home to some of the oldest own rooted Shiraz vine in the world with some vineyards boasting vines that are in excess of 120 years of age. Hunter Valley Shiraz is characterised but its astringent, gamy noted but has a tendency to develop in the bottle over 20 to 30 years into a silky, texture earthy wine with notes reminiscent of a Rhone.

yeast in the Brettanomyces family.[31]

While there were likely some plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon in the 19th century, Hunter Valley Cabernet seemed to vanish at the turn of the 20th century and didn't regain a footing in the Hunter until Max Lake reintroduced the variety along with the other

California. It tends to be very earthy and is usually cross blended with wine from regions outside the Hunter.[7]

Maurice O'Shea of Mountain View pioneered planting of

Madeira, Verdelho has developed a niche in the Hunter Valley where its thick skin and high acids tolerate the humidity and heat.[7]

Semillon

Semillon.

Hunter Valley Semillon is widely considered the iconic wine of the region.[1] First planted in the region in 1830, the grape has been produced and variously labelled as Hunter Valley Riesling, Shepherd's Riesling, Hock, Rhine Gold, White Burgundy and Chablis. In its youth it is exhibits austere lemon, grassy notes but with 10 plus years in the bottle it develop into a rich, minerally wine with biscuit notes.[6] The character of the wine changes so much that it often even fools professional tasters of being an oak aged Chardonnay that has gone through malolactic fermentation, this despite the fact that it likely hasn't seen a touch of oak or lactic acid bacteria. In the Upper Hunter there has been some experimentation with oaked aged Semillon but remained more the exception rather than the norm.[32]

Described by Oz Clarke as one of the "wine world's enigmas", the grapes unique profile is attributed to the harsh climate and humidity of the Hunter which coax this low acid grape to higher acid levels than it achieves in the cooler climate of Bordeaux. Typical harvest figures for Hunter Valley Semillon are between 6.8 and 7.4 g/L acidity and 2.8-3 pH while in Bordeaux the grape is usually harvested at around 4.8–5.5 g/L and 3.1–3.3 pH.[6]

It is the unique climate[6] that shapes the Hunter Valley's distinctive Semillon. While the textbook profile of Semillon is that of a thin skin, neutral grape that is prone to low acids and fatness in the Hunter it matures over decades into a honeyed wine with toasty biscuit notes and a mineral backbone. Despite almost always being unoaked, a mature Semillon gives the textural impression of spending years in the barrel.[30]

Soils

Overall, the Hunter Valley has more soils (mostly hard, acidic patches of poorly draining heavy clay) that are unsuitable for viticulture than they have areas that are ideal for growing grapes. The soils of the Lower Hunter vary widely from sandy

alkaline clay loam.[1] Among the hills of the Brokenback range are strips of volcanic basalt that are prized by growers for their tendencies to restrict vigor and concentrate mineral flavours in the grapes.[2]

Wine industry

A cellar door sign for a winery in the Hunter.
A cellar door at a winery in the Hunter.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hunter Valley wine.

The Hunter Valley wine industry is dominated by its proximity to Sydney. It has also become a significant element in the local economy in the tourism industry. The significance of tourism can be exemplified by the employment of more people in that industry than wine production.[6] In 2008, a total of 4,469 ha (11,043 acres) of wine grapes were planted in the Hunter Valley with 1,687 ha (4,169 acres) dedicated to red grapes and 2,782 ha (6,874 acres) planted to white grapes. At harvest time, 9,263 tonnes of red wine varieties were crushed for an average of 5.5 tonnes/ha. Among white wine varieties, 19,310 tonnes were crushed with an average of 6.9 tonnes/ha. Around 28% of the red grapes and 63% of the white grapes crushed were from estate grown-fruit. Roughly a third of the red grapes and a fifth of the white grapes crushed were imported from outside the Hunter Valley.[5] Many of these imported grapes come from other New South Wales Wine regions such as the Cowra, Mudgee, Orange and Riverina and are labelled under the large Southeast Australia designation.[10]

The wine laws for the Hunter Valley follow the same regulations as the rest of Australia, as governed by Wine Australia. For a grape variety to appear on the wine label as a varietal wine it must account for at least 85% of the wine. If the wine is a multi-grape blend it must list the grapes on the wine in order of importance with the exact percentages of each grape listed somewhere on the wine. If the wine is labelled with a region then at least 85% of the grapes must be sourced from that area.[11]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Halliday, James. Wine Atlas of Australia. Berkeley: University of California, 2007. Print.
  2. ^ a b c d e Johnson, Hugh, and Jancis Robinson. The World Atlas of Wine. London: Mitchell Beazley, 2005. Print.
  3. ^ "Hunter Valley Map and Touring Guide". Hunter Valley Wine & Tourism Association. Archived from the original on 4 August 2016. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "Hunter Valley Wine Country." Hunter Valley Wine Country Tourism Archived 1 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine 8 May 2010
  5. ^ a b c d "Hunter Valley Research Foundation Archived 18 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine" Web. 1 June 2010.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Clarke, Oz. Oz Clarke's Australian Wine Companion: an Essential Guide for All Lovers of Australian Wine Orlando, Florida: Harcourt, 2004
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Halliday, James. "Regional Spotlight – Hunter Valley. Archived 29 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine" Wine Pros. 29 October 2001. Web. 25 May 2010.
  8. ^ a b Johnson, Hugh. Vintage: the Story of Wine. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1989. Print.
  9. ^ a b c d e "Hunter Valley – Australian Wine Regions Archived 21 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine" Wine Diva Australia." Wine Diva. 1 June 2010
  10. ^ a b c Dominé, André, Eckhard Supp, Armin Faber, and Thomas Pothmann. Wein. [Königswinter,Germany]: Tandem, 2008. Print.
  11. ^ a b c d MacNeil, Karen. The Wine Bible. New York: Workman Pub., 2001. Print.
  12. ^ "Australian climate variability & change - Average maps".
  13. ^ "Hunter". Wine Australia. 2015. Archived from the original on 30 January 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  14. ^ "Hunter Valley". Wine Australia. 2015. Archived from the original on 7 December 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  15. ^ "Broke Fordwich". Wine Australia. 2015. Archived from the original on 6 December 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  16. ^ "Pokolbin". Wine Australia. 2015. Archived from the original on 6 December 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  17. ^ "Upper Hunter Valley". Wine Australia. 2015. Archived from the original on 6 December 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  18. ^ a b c "Broke Fordwich". Mount Broke Wines. Archived from the original on 31 March 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
  19. ^ "Broke Fordwich". Register of Protected GIs and Other Terms. Wine Australia. Archived from the original on 4 April 2016. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
  20. ^ "Hunter Valley Wine Tasting". Broke Fordwich Wine & Tourism Association. Archived from the original on 17 June 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
  21. ^ "About Broke Fordwich Wine Region." Broke Fordwich – Hunter Valley Archived 15 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine 1 June 2010.
  22. ^ "Pokolbin". Register of Protected GIs and Other Terms. Wine Australia. Archived from the original on 29 June 2016. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
  23. ^ "Pokolbin". Visit NSW. Archived from the original on 2 June 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  24. ^ a b Halliday, James. "Upper Hunter Valley Wine Region". James Halliday's Wine Atlas of Australia. Archived from the original on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
  25. ^ "Upper Hunter Valley". Register of Protected GIs and Other Terms. Wine Australia. Archived from the original on 29 June 2016. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
  26. ^ "Wineries & Cellar Doors". Upper Hunter Country. Archived from the original on 15 April 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
  27. ^ Lewis, John (25 October 2013). "The grape disappearing act". Newcastle Herald. Archived from the original on 1 July 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
  28. ^ a b Steel, Christopher C. "Fruit Rot Control in Hunter Vineyards. Providing Growers with Tools to Stop the Rot Archived 6 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine" Rep. REGIONAL INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION (RITA) PROJECT. Web. 15 May 2010.
  29. ^ Creaser, Mette, Sandra Savocchia, Catherine Hitch, and Trevor Wicks. Survey of the Hunter Valley and Mudgee Wine Regions for the Grapevine Trunk Disease Eutypa Dieback. Rep. South Australian Research and Development Institute. Web. 18 May 2010.
  30. ^ a b Clarke, Oz, and Margaret Rand. Oz Clarke's Encyclopedia of Grapes. New York: Harcourt, 2001. Print.
  31. ISBN 0-7566-1324-8
  32. ^ Robinson, Jancis. The Oxford Companion to Wine. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2006. Print.
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