Hunter Valley

Tue, Dec 2, 2009

The Hunter Valley is proof that the words “wine region” and “charming” don’t always go together. We drove here yesterday from the Blue Mountains – a drive through some very pretty countryside, and involved another ferry ride (different river, different ferry). Once in the Hunter Valley region, it was hard to believe that grapes could possibly grow here. As it was getting very close to 5pm, we stopped at the first winery we came to (most of them close their doors at 5:00). The owner was very nice and offered us tastings of several of the wines, which was nice seeing as we rolled in so close to her closing time. She told us that the area is a very difficult one for growing grapes and that each year is a challenge for them. A few years ago the valley was completely under water and they lost their entire year’s vintage.

This morning we stopped at two other wineries and had very different experiences at each. At the first one we encountered a most surly hostess who seemed to begrudge every drop she poured. Questions were answered in clipped, condescending tones, while looking at the wall behind us. Okey dokey then. We skeedaddled asap.

The second vineyard we stopped at was an organic vineyard called Tamburlaine where we were greeted with warm smiles and a hearty welcome. The head vintner even came out to check on us and spent a fair amount of time chatting with us, explaining how they market their wines in Australia and the challenges he’s had trying to market his wine in the US (it is available here, mostly along the Eastern Seaboard, and is sold under the name of Mark Davidson). We then got a personal tour of their operation, as our guide pointed out the steps they’ve taken to make it sustainable and organic, such as using a filtering pond and composting worms for the castoff skins and stems after crushing.

We only had last evening and this morning here, so it was a very brief visit. I think if I had known then what I know now, I would have opted for another night in the Blue Mountains and have skipped Hunter Valley altogether, but you just never know. Now we do. And it’s not as if it was an unpleasant experience; it just wasn’t quite what we expected. We did get to see some more kangaroos hopping out in the wild, so that was a bonus.