NEW SOUTH WALES WINE REGION - AUSTRALIA
Tyrrell’s vineyards, Hunter Valley, New South Wales
Photo source: Winekeller
Winekeller wine travel and wine tour experiences in the New South Wales wine region:
Tour operators operating wine tours, wine tasting & vineyard tours in New South Wales:
WILD FOOD ADVENTURES - an expert and experienced tour operator, operating bespoke and 1 day private, luxury group wine tours in the Southern Highlands, Shoalhaven and Canberra regions of NSW
An introduction to the New South Wales wine region, Australia
New South Wales is the birthplace of Australian wine and the original vines were planted at Sydney Cove in 1788.
The most famous wine region in NSW is Hunter Valley, but there are several other excellent wine regions just waiting to be discovered! From historic wine regions to exciting, new grape-growing areas, there's so much to discover in New South Wales. The great thing is, if you are visiting Australia, it’s highly likely you will spend time in Sydney and there are lots of options for you to plan wine tours from Sydney - all within about a 3 hours drive - which is nothing at all for Australia!
The beautiful Blue Mountains
The iconic Sydney Opera house
Enjoying the beautiful NSW South coast
Capital city, Canberra
About New South Wales:
New South Wales (NSW) is a southeastern Australian state, bordered by Queensland to the north, South Australia to the west, Victoria to the south and the Coral and Tasman Seas to the east. NSW is Australia’s most populated state.
NSW is known across the world firstly for its iconic, vibrant capital city, Sydney and Sydney Harbour, but also for its beautiful coastline, superb beaches and coastal cities. Inland are the rugged Blue Mountains, rainforests and the outback.
New South Wales wine map:
NSW is home to 14 wine regions, each with their own distinct personality, varying topography and grape varieties. There is an extremely diverse range of climates, including coastal, like the Shoalhaven Coast region lying south of Sydney, to cooler climate Alpine, where vines grow at over 500m above sea level. Then inland are the warm-climate regions. It is a common perception that Australia is mostly hot/warm-climate, but NSW is a great example of this not being so!
NSW has seen its wine geography develop rapidly in recent years - in fact nowhere in Australia is the rate of change and the pace of growth more apparent than it is here. The largest zones, which provide two and a half times as much wine as the Hunter Valley, are the ‘Central Ranges Zone’, including Mudgee, Orange and Cowra and the Southern New South Wales Zone, including Hilltops, Canberra District, Gundagai, and Tumbarumba.
Robert Stein winery, Mudgee
Source: Winekeller
NSW sub wine regions summary:
Canberra District - A thriving region, with a growing reputation for great food and wine - elegant boutiques and restaurants in nearby Canberra - cool continental climate attracting a lot of new winemakers - beautiful scenery;
Cowra - An emerging wine region - 40 vineyards - diverse wines - superb food and hospitality - picturesque scenery and charming towns - cool continental climate;
Gundagai - One of the newest wine regions - varied climates - diverse wines - lovely scenery;
Hastings River - On the mid-north coast of New South Wales - popular tourist destination - warm and humid maritime climate - food-friendly wines and great seafood;
Hilltops - Home to exciting prize-winning wines - a land of fruit orchards, olive groves and vineyards - some excellent wines based on Italian grape varieties - cool climate;
Hunter Valley - Iconic, historic wine region but innovative winemakers rewriting its future - lots of excellent wineries, restaurants and wine tourism opportunities - warm climate region;
Mudgee - Tucked behind the Blue Mountains and cradled by an outer rim of hills (‘Mudgee’ is based on a local Aboriginal word meaning ‘nest in the hills’), historic wine region - thriving food and wine scene, boutique wineries, lots of wine tourism;
New England Australia - Home to world-class wines - cool climate - home to some of Australia’s highest vineyards;
Orange - A gourmet hotspot - cool climate - picturesque countryside - more than 60 wineries producing some world-class wines;
Perricoota - One of Australia's newest and smallest wine regions - in the heart of the historic river towns of Moama and Echuca;
Riverina - Warm climate region - one of NSW’s most successful grape-growing regions, producing a large volume of grapes that go into world famous wines produced for bulk consumption;
Shoalhaven Coast - Young wine region stretching along the NSW south coast - stunning coastal scenery and beaches - food-friendly wines, excellent cellar doors;
Southern Highlands - High altitude, cool climate region - lush countryside and historical towns - exciting and thriving wine and food community - closest wine region to Sydney;
Tumbarumba - cool mountain climate - stunning scenery - premium grapes and top sparkling wines - growing reputation.
Visiting Helm wines in Canberra District
Cupitt's Estate, Shoalhaven
At Artemis Wines, Southern highlands
At Lowe Wines, Mudgee
New South Wales Wine
The wines of the New South Wales wine region reflect the variety of climates here - so they are varied!
The region represents approximately 30% of Australian wines and includes all styles of the top Australian grape varieties - ie Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot noir for reds and Chardonnay, Riesling and Semillon for whites. Hunter Valley is known for its Semillon and Shiraz, Orange for delicious Chardonnay and Pinot noir and the Canberra District for Riesling and Sangiovese. A growing number of Italian and Iberian grape varieties are grown here too.
NSW is a historic but also a very innovative wine region and a lot of new winemakers are attracted to the NSW wine regions due to the varied climates and popular and growing food and wine scene.
Cool climate wine regions Australia
The cool climate regions are attracting winemakers, for their opportunity to produce more elegant styles of the classic grape varieties. As we know the planet is getting hotter and the attractions of cooler climate NSW wine regions, such as Orange, the Southern Highlands, Hilltops, Tumbarumba and the Canberra district are clear to see. For more about NSW’s cool climate wines, see here.
Cool climate vineyards at Clonakilla in Canberra District
Why should I visit New South Wales? - Places to see and things to do
When planning a trip to New South Wales, you must of course, include seeing Sydney and Sydney Harbour - but make sure you make time to venture outside of Sydney as there is just so much to see!
Getting to New South Wales
Sydney is one of Australia’s most accessible cities, making New South Wales easy to explore.
International flights arrive into Sydney Airport (SYD) daily from around the world, and you can fly to Sydney from every major Australian city, as well as from regional Australia. New South Wales also has regional airports in popular destinations like Byron Bay and Newcastle, as well as some smaller towns like Mudgee.
The drive to Sydney takes three hours from Canberra and about nine hours from Melbourne and Brisbane.
Enjoying spectacular Sydney Harbour!
Fitzroy Falls in the Southern Highlands
Some New South Wales highlights:
Sydney and Sydney Harbour:
Of course you have to do Sydney and its iconic sights - see here for ideas and inspiration!
Short breaks and day trips from Sydney:
Take the opportunity to venture beyond the city and see what’s out there! There’s some fabulous coastline to explore: the Central coast, the North coast and the South coast; the Blue Mountains, the Southern Highlands and other beautiful country regions and of course, the NSW wine regions including Hunter Valley tours from Sydney - see here for some ideas.
Stunning South coast, NSW
Source: Winekeller
New South Wales road trip:
New South Wales is a superb destination for road trips, with beautiful coastlines and endless rugged interior country to explore.
Click here for some excellent ideas for food, wine and ale road trips!
Wine tourism in New South Wales
Wine tourism in NSW offers experiences that are more diverse, engaging and immersive than just traditional cellar door wine tastings. You can taste and buy world-renowned wines but also try fabulous, locally grown food, visit markets, explore historical sites, stay at luxury resorts or perhaps take a tour or a class, meeting winemakers and chefs!
There’s so much on offer in NSW for the tourist and the wine tourist - you just need some time to stay a while to experience and enjoy it!
Click here for some excellent recommendations for Winery restaurants where you can enjoy the best of NSW wines with the best of NSW dining!
See ‘VisitNSW’ , ‘Australia.com’ and Sydney.com for more information and inspiration!
Wine tourism at Lowe Wines in Mudgee
Wine tourism at Brokenwood, Hunter Valley
Canberra may be Australia’s capital city and it probably doesn’t feature as prominently on the average visitor’s travel itinerary as say Sydney or Melbourne, but it’s one of Australia’s fastest growing wine regions! So we decided to drive into the Canberra wine district to visit some of the best Canberra wineries!