Venture Wine Tours Australia

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NEW SOUTH WALES _____________________________________________________________________________________

HUNTER VALLEY

The Lower Hunter Valley, only a short three-hour drive north of Sydney, is arguably Australia ’s best-known wine region. The region enjoys a warm to hot sub-tropical climate not normally suited to producing quality table wine - cooling afternoon sea breezes are the region ’s saviour. Originally making its name for long-living Chardonnay, Semillon and Shiraz. The Hunter Valley also produces a substantial amount of the trendier Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc varieties. Many boutique wineries, trendy restaurants, bed and breakfasts ,and art and craft shops have sprung up over the last ten years ,catering for the many tourists and Sydney wine lovers who venture north to this picturesque area.

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MUDGEE

Mudgee, 260 kilometres north-west of Sydney, was first planted to grapes in 1858 by Adam Roth, and was the first wine-growing region in Australia to grow Chardonnay. Although Mudgee is on the same latitude as the Hunter alley to the east, the district’s average 500 to 1000 metres above sea level provides cooler growing conditions. This leads to a longer growing sea- son which, when combined with the rich soil, produces full and flavour- some wines. Most of the district ’s more than 20 wineries are small individual boutiques.