New South Wales

australia’s most populous state, consumes far more wine than it produces, but its wine geography is developing rapidly.

The Hunter Valley (now an official wine zone), 130 km/80 miles north of Sydney, has always had a special hold on the affections (and wallets) of Sydneysiders. It is also one of the internationally known regions, notwithstanding its relatively small contribution (less than 3%) to the country’s total crush, and its perverse climate. That climate is abnormally hot for a fine wine district, although the heat is partially offset by high humidity, by afternoon cloud cover, and by substantial rainfall during the growing season—less beneficially in the years in which most of the rain falls during harvest.