New South Wales wine

A large variety of grapes are grown in New South Wales, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Shiraz and Sémillon.

The Mudgee and Cowra regions and the Big Rivers zone are warm and much drier than the Hunter Valley with several areas requiring irrigation for grape growing.

The Lower Hunter region has several locations with volcanic loam with alluvial sands and silts on the flatter valley vineyards.

The vines were planted in the garden of Arthur Phillip, then Governor of the colony, in a site that is now the location of a hotel on Macquarie Street in Sydney.

[5] Phillip's early vineyard did not fare well in the hot, humid climate of the region and he sent a request to the British government for assistance in establishing viticulture in the new colony.

The wine was well received and won the honour of being served during the event's closing ceremonies at the state banquet of Napoleon III.

The state has eight larger Australian Geographical Indication (GI) zones which are divided into smaller regions and occasionally, sub-regions as follows:[9] The Hunter Valley has benefited from its close location to Sydney with the tourism and recognition that follows.

Various wine producers have experimented with planting Pinot noir, Riesling and Sauvignon blanc but the results have not been very successful due in part to the Hunter's harsh climate of heat, humidity and abundant rainfall during the growing and harvest seasons.

Mount Pleasant was purchased by the McWilliam family in 1931 and remains at O'Shea's original site, utilising the same vines and vineyards as he did.

The wines are characterised by buttery, honey nut flavours and an ability to age for several decades, often hitting their peak between 10–20 years.

[14][15] Hunter Valley Chardonnays are characterised by their soft texture, high alcohol and viscosity with peach flavour notes.

They are characterised by earthy flavours with tar notes with well-made examples having the potential to take on Rhône-like qualities as they age.

Cowra is the warmest wine region in the Central ranges, located at a lower altitude and on flatter terrain than the other two sub-regions.

Much of Mudgee is planted with red wine varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz though the area is home to a unique clone of Chardonnay that is virtually virus-free.

[1] The Canberra winery Clonakilla helped to popularise the resurgence of the Côte-Rôtie AOC style of blending Viognier with Shiraz.