There are some wine regions where nothing much happens from year to year. Then there is the Hunter Valley, which is in a constant state of activity with its many festivals and tasting events – including the Hunter Valley Wine and Food Month from June 1st to 30th.
In addition to almost 120 cellar doors, the Hunter region now boasts over 60 cafes and eateries while Hope Estate, Tempus Two and Bimbadgen Estate all host regular music concerts, often featuring major international stars like Bruce Springsteen, Dolly Parton and Lionel Richie.
They’ve been making wine in the Hunter – just a two-hour drive north of Sydney – since 1828 so they’ve had plenty of time to get things right. And today, the Hunter attracts more than 2.5 million people annually.
The region is best known for its age-worthy semillons and savoury shirazes, but verdelho and chardonnay also thrive here, as do several new-wave grape varieties.
The best-known cellar doors include Tyrrell’s, McWilliam’s Mount Pleasant, Hungerford Hill, Tulloch, Drayton’s, Brokenwood, Wyndham Estate, Tempus Two and Lindeman’s but there are also dozens of small, family-owned boutique producers, and newcomers like impressive Leogate Estate.
Tintilla Estate specialises in Italian grape varieties, while Margan, Allandale, Briar Ridge, Gundog Estate, First Creek, Mistletoe, Andrew Thomas Wines, Gartelmann, Tallavera Grove, Scarborough, Meerea Park and David Hook all produce excellent wines that exemplify the boutique ethos.
Family-owned and operated RidgeView Wines in Pokolbin is one place to enjoy the Hunter in style; it has its own cellar door, a restaurant that specialises in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flavours and four luxury cottages in a delightful setting. Whispering Brook in Broke Fordwich – run by Balmain local Susan Frazier (Ciao’s cover star this issue, pictured right) – is another fabulous example of a family-run boutique winery well worth a visit not only for its cellar door, but also its olive oil, which will be showcased during the Whispering Brook Olive Long Table Lunch on June 7th.
The facilities at the Small Winemakers Centre include the Icon Lounge, where visitors have the chance to sample some of the region’s star wines via a dispensed via an Enomatic system.
Words: Winsor Dobbin, www.gourmetontheroad.blogspot.com
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