What grape is best suited for the Hunter Valley?

The Hunter Valley – alongside the Barossa and Margaret River – is one of Australia’s most beautiful and fertile wine regions.

With legendary names like Brokenwood Wines, Briar Ridge, Pepper Tree Wines and Krinklewood Biodynamic Vineyard all producing fine vintages in the region, it goes without saying that the Hunter Valley is a fabulous place to enjoy a drop of good vino!

The Hunter’s most iconic red wine is Shiraz, with the region’s warm days and nights hastening the ripening process and creating an earlier harvest than throughout Oz.

What makes this special is that the Hunter Valley Shiraz is less intense as the vines spend less time in the sun. This is what makes the region’s Shiraz so complex whilst maintaining a medium body.

If you’re heading out to the Hunter, be it for winery hopping, a wedding, a hens – whatever – don’t pass up the opportunity to enjoy the region’s fabulous Shiraz, as well as enjoy some of these other Hunter Valley delights:

Hot air balloon ride

If you are yet to get stuck into some of the fantastic reds and whites that the Hunter is famous for, why not climb aboard a hot air balloon and take in the region for all its bucolic beauty?

Any global wine region promises to be pretty aesthetically beautiful too, right? Well, the Hunter is absolutely no exception. The region is a dreamscape from above, with morning hot air balloon rides providing the perfect opportunity to take in this immaculately gorgeous wine land with all its glorious greens, golds and reds invigorating the fertile land!

Cooking classes

It’s safe to say that anywhere there is good wine there is sure to be some pretty scrumptious food. Well, the Hunter Valley is full of ‘em, with culinary schools offering cooking classes of a great wealth and variety.

Always wanted to master the paella but scared you didn’t have the Spanish pizazz to master its subtlety? Think again, as The Verandah Restaurant offers paella cooking classes that teach you how to master the fine art of combining bomba, chicken, seafood and, of course, saffron.

Not so big on the plato nacional de España? That’s fine, as the Hunter has you covered with other culinary school delights like low and slow smoking classes, Tuscan cooking school (where you can take part in a MasterChef-inspired cooking comp and the legendary Hunter Valley Cooking School, where you shall create a three-course meal using local organic produce…

Cameron Ward

Managing Director at Sightseeing Tours Australia

Cameron Ward turned his travel passion into a thriving Australian tourism business. Before he co-founded his own business, Sightseeing Tours Australia, he was enjoying being a Melbourne tour guide. Even now, Cameron delights in helping visitors from all around the world get the most out of their incredible Australian trip. You’ll see Cameron leading tours or writing about his favourite Australian places where he shares his local insights.