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The majority of the vineyards in the lower Hunter are situated on the extreme southern side of what is a broad and relatively flat valley nestled into the foothills of the Brokenback Range.  With a few exceptions, most notably Mount View, the hills are gentle and their gradients modest. Statistics reveal that the climates of the two areas of the Hunter are similar. Perversely, the heat degree days summation of each is very high, with the majority of the rainfall occurring between January and April, blanketing the harvest.  However, the rain, the humidity, the afternoon cloud cover and weak sea breezes all act to ameliorate the impact of the heat, which would otherwise make the production of quality table wine very difficult, if not impossible.  As is indicated by the well-drained and moderately fertile black silty loams, the vineyards of the Upper Hunter are much closer to the river systems, notably the Hunter and Goulburn rivers, as well as tributaries such as Giants Creek.  Rows of vines are framed against the backdrop of rocky hillsides that add a sense of wild and untamed beauty to the landscape.

Key wine varietals in the region:

Semillon: Semillon is regarded as the great wine of the Hunter. It demands time in bottle, and rewards by developing from a vaguely grassy, lemony youth to a crescendo of honeyed, nutty, buttered toasty, palate pleasing richness at 10 to 20 years of age.

Chardonnay: Chardonnay started its Australia-wide reign when the late Murray Tyrrell produced the 1971 Vat 47 Pinot Chardonnay. Today, virtually every winery in the region produces a Chardonnay; some are richer or more complex, others are oakier but most have a "peaches-and-cream" character.  Opinions differ sharply about the keeping qualities of these wines. If varietal character is unimportant, then the deep golden, buttery, viscous opulence of aged Hunter Chardonnay will be extremely satisfying.

Shiraz: The Hunter Valley imprints its regional stamp on both Shiraz and Cabernet wines but it can be argued that the inherent varietal character of Shiraz acquiesces to that stamp with greater compliance than does Cabernet Sauvignon.  Moreover, Shiraz makes the same transformation in bottle as Semillon, moving from an astringent, angular and spiky youth into a savoury, velvety maturity at 20 or even 30 years of age.

Cabernet Sauvignon: After a hiatus of more than 30 years, Cabernet Sauvignon was re-introduced to the Hunter by Dr Max Lake at Lake's Folly in 1963.  Since that time it has been planted at almost every vineyard in the Valley.  It produces an idiosyncratic style and some fine wines are made here from this grape.

Other: A plethora of other wines is made, either as straight varietals or as blends, of which Verdelho is the most important in terms of volume.

Source:  The official Wine Australia website