Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
r
t
To Barrington Tops
National Park
0
0
250 Mi
250 Km
New South Wales
New South Wales
Hunter Valley
Hunter Valley
Sydney
Sydney
Canberra
Canberra
82
Rothbury
Hermitage
Lodge
Rothbury
Estate
Winery
Hunter Valley
Wine Society
McGuigan
Hunter Village
The Convent
Pepper Tree
Tyrells
Vineyard Hill
Country Motel
Petersons
Champagne
House
McGuigan
Bros.
Winery
Carriages
Guest House
Peppers Guest
House
Cessnock
Airstrip
Pokolbin
Lindemans Hunter
River Winery
Tamburlaine
Winery
82
R
d.
Tinklers
Nulkaba
Drayton
Family Wines
McWilliams Mount
Pleasant Winery
Maitland Rd.
132
i
Neath
Cessnock
i
Information
Winery
Petersons
Vineyard
Cessnock Heritage Inn
i
Wine Country
Information
Center
0
5 mi
132
0
5 km
e
To Ellalong
Kearsley
In the
Lower Hunter,
centered around the towns of Cessnock and Pokolbin,
you'll find around 110 wineries and cellar doors, including well-known producers
such as Tyrell, Rothbury, Lindemans, Draytons, McGuigans, and McWilliams.
Many varieties of wine are produced here, including semillon, shiraz, chardonnay,
cabernet sauvignon, and pinot noir.
Farther north, the
Upper Hunter
offers the very essence of Australian rural
life, with its sheep and cattle farms, historic homesteads, more wineries, and
rugged bushland. The vineyards here tend to be larger than those in the south,
and produce more aromatic varieties, such as traminers and rieslings. February
through March is when the harvest takes place.
The Upper Hunter gives way to the forested heights of the World Her-
itage-listed Barrington Tops National Park. The park is ruggedly beautiful and
A Wine-Buying Tip
The best years ever for red wines in this part of Australia were 1988 and
2000, when long, hot summers produced fewer, but more intensely flavored
grapes. Stock up on anything you can find from these vintages. At the other
end of the scale, 1997 was a bad year, and 1996, 1999, 2001, and 2002 pro-
duced average vintages. The year 2003 is expected to be outstanding.
Tips
