Sydney | Blue Mountains | Hunter Valley Wine tours
Hunter Valley Wine tours One of the wine regions in Australia- renown for its shiraz and semillons.
About 2 hours drive from Sydney>
across the Hawkesbury River famous for its oysters. Passing rural NSW on the way- horse breeding,
to cattle rearing to fruit growing- peaches, plums, avocado, mangos,
to macadamia nut plantations. In places the modern highway follows the convict trail,
even crossing over culverts built by hard labour in the 1830's hence across the Broken Back Range into the Hunter Valley
proper with its vineyards, over a hundred wineries (from boutique to larger wineries), and cellar doors.
Fine colonial buildings and barns to cheese and fudge makers to
galleries to local produce lots to see and do not forgetting 25 hectare Hunter
Valley gardens with its feature gardens. Enjoy a structured wine tasting-
take a small sniff then introduce a small sip into your palette.
From the tropical fruit flavoured bordello, to the oak aroma of a merlot.
Summer temperatures in the valley reach the high 40's,
ideal for ripening grapes but very hard work for the pickers during the
6 to 8 weeks of the harvest. Even though machine picking is gaining a hold most
prefer handpicking because less damage to the grape and tonnage's are higher.
Once pressed the grape juice is left to ferment in oak casks for at least 18 months before being bottled.
Beautiful Australia from the Rock to the Reef - a tourist guide with nice pictures.