Travel Guide Hunter Valley

The nearest wine-growing region of Sydney, Hunter Valley, is 180 km northwest. Its two main activities are vineyards and coal mines. The coal is shipped to Newcastle on the Central Coast. This industrial city is also the gateway to the region of vineyards with famous wines. The sandy slopes and the Hunter Valley microclimate provide excellent conditions for one of Australia's finest vineyards. The best vineyards are concentrated mainly in the Pokolbin region, where excellent white whites are tasted. The harvest festival which takes place every year in February attracts a crowd of amateurs to take part in the harvest and enjoy wines. The most important varieties of the Hunter are the sémillon and chardonnay for the whites, and the winemaker (Hermitage) and Cabernet sauvignon for the reds. Other varieties of grape varieties such as Sauvignon white, Merlot and Pinot Noir were planted with great success. The most important, also known abroad, are: Lindemans, Wyndham Estate, Rosemount and Rothbury Estate. If some have a wine-tasting corner and even offer rooms to rent, most small cellars only open their doors for the sale of bottles of a wine that could be harvested by the person who sells it to you. It takes two hours from Sydney to the Hunter Valley.Note that there are fewer people in the week and prices are more advantageous, because weekends see the Sydneysiders coming. The harvest takes place in February-March.