HUNTER VALLEY SEMILLON.

I’m often asked, “what’s your favourite wine”. White and red Burgundy is my first answer but when I follow that with a few other favourites and include Hunter Valley Semillon I’m usually confronted with a puzzled look.  

Before you rush out and buy a bottle clock the vintage; that’s the year the grapes were picked. When it comes to Hunter Valley Semillon, for me, the age of the wine is very important. Semillon’s the grape by the way.

When it’s very young, it’s pleasing with light, crisp, lemon flavours - perfect as an aperitif on an Oak Grange summer terrace - but after a few years in the bottle it changes, bigtime. As the years pass the wine takes on a wonderful golden hue that opens the door to ripe yet crisp, balanced honeyed, toasty, citrus apple flavours, topped by a long, intense finish. In addition, after about 5-7 years it tastes as if it has been aged in oak barrels but Hunter Semillon is typically un-oaked. Another surprise is that it’s only 10.5% alcohol by volume!

 The wine hails from Australia’s Hunter Valley, a two-hour drive north of Sydney. Not surprisingly, ‘The Hunter’ is now Australia’s sixth most popular tourist venue, a list that includes Sydney’s Opera House and Harbour Bridge. 

The main town is Polkabin and the valley is divided into the Lower and Upper Hunter. Grapes were first planted in the 1820’s, in vineyards that are some of the warmest, wettist, most humid in Australia; it’s this humidity, combined with the afternoon cloud cover and gentle sea breezes that temper the summer heat to create excellent ripening conditions. The producers of Hunter Semillon include Tyrell’s, Brockenwood, Glenguin and Meerea Park. 

Whilst you’re at the Aussie shelf you could find yourself falling for the other Hunter wines. In the white corner, Chardonnay and the red, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. Unlike aged Semillon, they’re easier to spot on your local shelf.