The  Travel Mall NEWSLETTER  - June 1999.

With thanks to LiquorLink  Australia

Unlike  Europe, which has specific wine regions (such as the famous Bordeaux  reds - Cabernet sauvignon and merlot), Australia's Wine Regions are  not clearly defined in terms of grape variety and wine styles. Most  Australian wine regions produce a range of wine styles. However, as  the wine industry continues to boom in Australia, so does the availability  of information on Australian wines (both in the media and in Wine  Competitions/Shows). Concurrent with this information, a definite  trend is emerging, with specific Wine Regions becoming renowned for  certain wine styles.

This month, our focus is on the Hunter Valley, located about 2 hours  north of Sydney in New South Wales. One of Australia's oldest wine  producing areas, the Hunter is visited by over a million tourists  every year, who are attracted by the 70-odd wineries, culinary delights  served on every corner, historical and natural beauty of the Valley.  Furthermore, the area boasts numerous annual festivals and events  that entertain the tourists, with the next couple of months being  one of the busiest times for the region - Hunter Valley Steamfest  (10-11 April), Harvest Festival (17-18 April), Mount View Autumn Festival  (1-2 May), Lovedale Long Lunch (15-16 May), Morpeth Jazz Festival  (22-23 May). Explore the Hunter for yourself on one of the Travel  Mall's Hunter Valley Tours.

Back  to the wines of the Hunter. The sandy soils of the Hunter Valley make  for low-yielding crops, the most famous of which are traditionally  from the Lower Hunter - Semillon and Shiraz. The wet season coincides  with harvest time in the Hunter, and subsequently, grapes are picked  earlier than in other regions of Australia. This means the grapes  have a low sugar content, which in turn, makes for wines with low  alcohol and high acid - very easy to drink, food friendly wines. Recent  varietal additions to the Hunter are Chardonnay - with its distinctive  fruit driven flavours, and Verdelho - refreshingly light and fruity.  For your enjoyment, we have put together a mixed dozen of these four  varieties, selecting some of the best examples the Hunter Valley has  to offer.

An aged Hunter Semillon is often quoted as a favourite wine style  by winemakers, critiques and industry workers. One of the most consistently  reliable Semillons from the Hunter is the Award winning McWilliams  Mount Pleasant Elizabeth 1994, an un-oaked 4 year old Hunter Semillon.  Long known as 'Australia's most awarded white wine' each year successive  vintages of Elizabeth add still more trophies and medals to their  tally. Sourced from McWilliams Pokolbin vineyard, this wine has zesty  lemon-lime fruit aromas integrated with the rich honey, nut and toast  flavours of bottle-maturation. One of the best examples of a Hunter  Valley specialty.

Unlike Shiraz of the Barossa and McLaren Vale, Hunter Shiraz is somewhat  lighter and subsequently, an extremely food friendly wine. Briar  Ridge Old Vines Shiraz 1997 epitomizes everything the Hunter has  to offer in a Shiraz - a lightly oaked, fresh style with sweet, fleshy  fruit and a long finish, great with marinated beef.

Rosemount, one of the Hunter 'Giants' in terms of winemaking, produce  a large range of excellent Chardonnays, their Hunter  Valley Reserve Chardonnay 1997 being one of the best. A medium  to full-bodied wine with strong stone fruit aromas, hints of vanilla  and butterscotch and cleverly integrated oak - terrific with barbecued  king prawns. "...an excellent Hunter chardonnay..." Uncorked, summer  '98.

Verdelho is susceptible to powdery mildew, and given the rainfall  in the Hunter during vintage, the grapes are picked earlier than elsewhere  in the country, making for a fresh, summery style of wine. Inglewood  Two Rivers Verdelho 1998 is a medium bodied in style with passionfruit,  grapefruit and grassy flavours, combined well with flinty acidity  and a long refreshing finish that is simply superb at BBQ's.

You  can find out more about these great wines, and of course purchase  them online, at Liquorlink Australia - Australia's leading online  wine merchant. Don't forget you can also discover the Hunter Valley  for yourself with our great  range of Hunter Valley tours.