The Hunter Valley is one of Australia's best known wine regions.

Located in the state of New South Wales, the

region has played a pivotal role in the history of Australian wine as one of the first wine regions planted in the
early 19th century.[2] Hunter Valley Semillonis widely considered the iconic wine of the region but the Hunter
produces wine from a variety of grapes including Shiraz,Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Verdelho.[1]
Under Australia's wine appellation system, the Hunter Valley zone Australian Geographical Indication (GI)
covers the entire catchment of the Hunter River and its tributaries. Within that, the Hunter region is almost as
large, and includes most of the wine-producing areas, excluding the metropolitan area of Newcastle and nearby
coastal areas, some national parks, and any land that was in the Mudgee Shire (at the western heights of the
catchment). There are three named subregions in the Hunter region. These are the Upper Hunter Valley, Broke
Fordwich and Pokolbin subregions. The Lower Hunter Valley is not strictly defined, but in general includes the
Pokolbin subregion, along with the districts around Wollombi, Mount View, Cessnock and Lovedale.[3] Much of the
history of Hunter was played out in this area and it is generally what is referred as the Hunter Valley
wine country.[1] The majority of the Hunter Valley's most prestigious vineyards are located on the southern valley
and foothills of the Brokenback Range (part of theGreat Dividing Range). The topography of the Hunter includes
mostly gently sloping hills with modest gradients. The one notable exception are the vineyards of Mount View just
west of the town of Cessnock. The terrain of the Upper Hunter is noticeably flatter as the Goulburn River and
other tributaries of the Hunter River dominate the area.[4]
Despite being the area's namesake, the Hunter River itself is not the dominant feature of the regionfalling
behind the Brokenback Range for that distinction. The greater river system of the Hunter, which includes the
Goulburn and important tributaries such as Giants Creek, do provide needed irrigation for areas such as the
Upper Hunter than can be prone to drought condition. [1] The origins of the river begin the Liverpool Range of the
volcanic Barrington Tops and flows south and then east down to the Pacific Ocean at the seaport city
of Newcastle.[5]
The success of the Hunter Valley wine industry has been dominated by its proximity to Sydney with its settlement
and plantings in the 19th century fuelled by the trade network that linked the valley to the city. The steady
demand of consumers from Sydney continues to drive much of the Hunter Valley wine industry, including a factor
in the economy by the tourism industry.[1][4]