A group of savvy wine media specialists were treated to a discussion by three people delightfully knowledge about the history of the Hunter Valley winemaking region, culture and wine styles.
Dr. Julie McIntyre, Senior Lecturer, History University of Newcastle, and author of
Hunter Wine, provided attendees of the 2019 Wine Media Conference with background about both the Australian and Hunter Valley histories with grape-growing and winemaking. Hunter has been Australia's longest continuous commercially-producing wine region. McIntyre's most pressing professional question has bee, "What is the combination of people and place that account for seven or eight generations of winemaking across Australia." She explained there are actually no indigineous grape varies in Australia, unlike, say, in the United States. In Australia, ALL varietals have been imported The first fleet of 11 settler ships arrived near what is now Sydney in January 1788. Wine came as part of that shipment, which included both some felons and military personnel. The first wine made in Australia seems to have been produced in 1792 - it was strong and red, and little else was known about it.
In Hunter Valley, the first dedicated plots in the 1820's were between one-quarter and three acres, using a variety of imported grapes. By roughly the 1870's, there was a shift in the structure of those farming grapes, and some people with
Vineyards in Hunter Valley have emerged where they are based on social engineering that drove smaller, more widely-owned plots of land. Families might have plots, say, on the order of 100 acres, which would be farmed by various members of the family. By the 1950's only 10 vineyards and four wineries were left, similar to what there was in the 1860's. There tended to be higher-quality grape production used for highly-crafted wines, not bulk production. That quality flourished better in the 1960's and '70's. Here assessment of the mix of
Liz Riley, part of a Hunter Valley winemaking family and consultant to the industry with her Vitibit agency, has been in the region for over 20 years. Over time, the vineyards have migrated from being close to the river trade route into the surrounding hills. Riley described weather in the region as quite chaotic. "Averages are just averages," she said, "we have floods or droughts, ranging from one extreme to the other, even within seasons." Growing, harvesting and winemaking strategies are designed to deal with and accommodate this range of weather extremes.
Riley explained that, although there are "hero varietals", such as semillon, shiraz, verdelho and the like, many growers are expanding the range of varietals with which they are experimenting. Pre 1968, shiraz and verdelho were the primary plantings. Chardonnay has proven to be probably most challenging to successfully grow in the region. She mentioned more recent fascination with "the many o's", varietals like albarino, vermentino and the like.
Liz Silkman, chief winemaker for First Creek Wines, lived with a cattle farming family in the region, and described the decision to move into the wine business. Silkman explained that, although some regions have large networks of winemakers, the smaller size of the Hunter Valley ensures that the winery families talk with each other. She believes the Hunter wines do a remarkably good job standing up to Rhone wines in blind tastings. While often underestimated, she believes that semillon actually does a good job of reflecting the simple strengths of the region in terms of winegrowing and winemaking. She believes the varietal grows very well in aging up to the five year period, including some buttery and toasty notes. Then, she said, some can sit in that stage for another 10 years or so.
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