Dating way back to the 1820s, the Hunter Valley is broadly considered Australia’s first wine region and remains one of the nation’s most recognised.  By the end of 1800s, iconic wine families that would achieve global prominence in the 20th century, such as Tyrrell, Tulloch, and Linderman called the place home.  It was from the Hunter Valley that Murray Tyrrell released Australia’s first mainstream Chardonnay in the 1970s.  This varietal would see the Hunter Valley and Australia achieve global fame for bright and inexpensive wines.

In the last couple decades, Australia’s bombastic Chardonnay style has fallen out of favour, and with it, the Hunter has lost a little of its lustre.  Over that same time period, the Riverina (NSW) and Riverlands (SA) cemented their positions as Australia’s biggest production regions for global budget wine.  In some ways, though, this has worked in the Hunter’s favour, as the region can focus on the boutique-style winemaking it works such magic with.  Today, there are over 120 wineries in the Hunter Valley.  The region is currently best known for its trademark varietal, Semillon, but we highly recommend you also check out some of the exceptional and spirited Shiraz that comes from here as well.