Ask most wine buffs to name Australia's best wine region and the answer is usually the Barossa or the Yarra. Even within Australia, a lot of people have never even heard of the Hunter Valley—despite the fact that it is the oldest continuous wine region in the country.
But the Hunter won't stay a secret for long. The region's long-established wineries, luxury guest houses, and fine dining have quickly turned the Hunter into an international destination. I recently spoke to Jo Thomas, general manager of the Hunter Valley Wine and Tourism Association, about how the region has grown and changed over the years, and how it plans to set itself apart from other wine destinations both in Australia and around the world.
Why don't more people know about the Hunter? Is it more about the volume of wine produced or does it have more to do with how the Hunter has marketed itself so far?
The Hunter Valley produces less than 2% of Australia’s total wine production, so to put it simply, we don’t have the volume of wine to export. Further, the majority of our producers are small to medium in tonnages produced but what we don’t produce in volume we make up in high-quality wines—no mass-produced products here! Our key markets domestically are New South Wales, Queensland, and Victoria. Internationally, our medium to large producers concentrate their efforts on South East Asia, USA, United Kingdom & North America.
How do you think the Hunter has changed in the last five years? What was the area like before?
The Hunter Valley receives an estimated 1.4 million visitors annually. We are the most visited region in Australia by consumers who travel for food and wine experiences. Consumer travel trends, growth in population in the Hunter and Central Coast regions and an increase of inbound tourism have contributed to the growth in wine tourism-related businesses.
We have approximately 130 wine producers and 283 businesses that are focused on wine-related tourism. In the last five years, the focus has been on additional infrastructure and/or refurbishment to existing businesses such as Ben Ean (old Lindemans site); Spicer’s Guesthouse's $20 million refurbishments; and Brokenwood Wines' $8 million new cellar door. The construction of the Hunter Expressway has improved travel time too—bringing Sydney, Newcastle and surrounds closer to our region.
What makes the Hunter stand out from Australia’s other key wine regions in regards to the region’s unique climate and characteristics?
Having never had phylloxera, like most of the rest of the grape growing regions of the world, the Hunter actually has some of the oldest vines of certain varieties still growing anywhere on the globe. Records indicate that it has over 50 acres of vineyard that is over 100 years old with vineyards dated back to 1879. There is a total of 660 acres of vineyard dated over 50 years with all of these vineyards having a direct linkage to the original grapevine cuttings bought to Australia at the start of the colony and from the Busby Collection of 1832. The Hunter Valley contains an outstanding collection of NSW’s oldest vineyards still growing on their original European rootstocks and containing rare and unique genetic material.
With the Australian wine industry firmly establishing Australia as a major wine producing country, with an estimated value of $6 billion, the relevance of the historical value of the old vineyards of the Hunter Valley is increasing.
In terms of our gift to the world of wine, Hunter Valley Semillon enjoys a very special place in the world wine industry.
What about Hunter’s character and personality versus those other wine regions? How would you define the spirit of the Hunter?
Our history and family-owned businesses, such as the iconic Tyrrell and McWilliam’s families who have been here for over 165 and 139 years respectively, have certainly helped carve the way for our region. No take-overs from large corporations means that we have had more control over the quality of the wines and our heritage vineyards. Our next generations are trailblazing new styles and alternate varietals to meet the demands of the consumer and address the challenges of climate change.
What are some of Hunter’s best and most popular wineries and properties right now? What is trending?
Our iconic wine producers—such as Tyrrell’s, Margan, Brokenwood, Mount Pleasant, McGuigan, Audrey Wilkinson, Thomas, DeIuliis, Scarborough, First Creek, just to name a few—are amongst some of our most awarded and popular wine producers. The next generation is now paving the way with innovative wine styles: think of Silkman, Vinden, Usher Tinkler, Hart & Hunter, and Gundog for example.
The Hunter Valley also boasts organic producers such as Tamburlaine, Harkham, MacQuariedale, and biodynamic producer Krinklewood, who bring their own unique story to the region.
The four champion varieties of the region have been, and continue to be: Shiraz, Semillon, Chardonnay, and Verdelho. However, other varietals are making their mark: Vermentino, Alberino, Fiano, Barbera, and Sangiovese.
It feels like the Hunter Valley is definitely marketing itself more internationally than it used to. What has contributed to this push, do you think?
Demand for premium Australian wines in overseas markets namely South East Asia. We have also identified the opportunities in inbound wine tourism growth to boost visitation to our region and the local economy.
We also recognize the importance of aligning ourselves with the strategic direction of peak bodies such as Wine Australia and Destination NSW when it comes to targeting specific markets.
There is no shortage of new winemakers, restauranteurs, and hoteliers picking the Hunter as their next spot. Why is this? What is it about the region that keeps enticing people to open new businesses? Is it simply its proximity to Sydney, or are there other factors at play?
Proximity to Sydney has been a major factor in investment in the region, alongside the high cost of living in Sydney driving people to live and work in regional NSW. Growth in tourism, albeit slower in regional destinations than in Sydney for example, has continued to attract investors in wine tourism businesses.
However, competition from other wine destinations throughout Australia and the diversity and volume of wine and tourism-related businesses in the Hunter Valley has been a challenge for some business owners. In particular, during mid-week and in the hotter months of the year (December/January), visitation can drop by more than 50%, which has a huge impact on revenue for businesses—the key solution is targeting inbound markets.
How do you think the region is set to grow and develop in the next five years? What changes do you think will happen and what will contribute to the region’s growth?
Wine tourism in the Hunter Valley currently contributes over $500 million to our local economy annually, it also provides 2,800 jobs. The forecast growth of international (inbound) tourism in Australia over the next 5-10 years will no doubt impact on the region’s growth. One of our key strategies for the region is to focus on inbound wine tourism.
