New South Wales

New South Wales section of Dan Murphy's

Where our wine began

New South Wales may be our most populous state, but it contributes just a little more than a quarter of Australia’s wine. More than three quarters of that contribution comes from the ‘Big Rivers Zone’, essentially the inland, Riverina region.

While NSW no longer dominates our wine industry, it rightly lays claim to being its pioneering location. Grapevines arrived with the First Fleet in1788, and were planted in the garden of Arthur Phillip, then Governor of the colony, on the foreshores of Sydney Cove - where the Intercontinental Hotel now stands. Unfortunately they did not fare well in the hot, humid climate of the harbour and faded from history.

Years later, gentleman farmer Gregory Blaxland produced the first commercial wine, on the banks of the Parramatta River, and he was the first to export wine back to England in 1823, and again in 1828. But, the undisputed ‘father of viticulture’ in NSW was James Busby, who in late 1831 toured Europe, collecting over 600 vine samples from across the continent to ship back to Sydney. Many of these cuttings survived the long journey and were cultivated in NSW. From there, they were taken across Australia, introducing new varieties as new settlements sprung up across the land.

Geography and climate - the dividing factor

The NSW landmass covers a vast expanse of varying microclimates. Overall, the climate shares similarities with the French wine region of the Languedoc. The Great Dividing Range exerts a substantial influence on many of NSW’s viticultural areas. Places of higher elevation such as Orange, Canberra and the Hilltops have cooler climates, with more continental influences. The Hunter Valley is very warm, with high humidity and large rainfalls during the growing and harvest season. The warm Mudgee, Cowra and Big Rivers Zones are much drier than the Hunter, with several areas requiring regular irrigation to grow grapes well.

As the climates of the state vary, so do the soils: clay, loam and sandstone are the most common. The best locations of the Lower Hunter Valley have a volcanic loam, with alluvial sands adding to the characters of the wines grown there. Both the Tumbarumba and Hilltops regions are granite-based, perfect for cooler climate varieties.

Wine regions

The state has eight larger Australian Geographical Indication (GI) zones, divided into smaller regions:

  • The Hunter Valley, and in particular the Lower Hunter, is the most famous for wine production, and rightly so. Click here to see a separate Hunter Valley article.
  • NSW also has a number of emerging regions, particularly those currently gaining worldwide recognition.

Burgeoning wine markets

With its large population centres, New South Wales presents a sizeable and growing market for the consumption of local wines. Both Sydney and Canberra are also ‘gateway cities’ for wine tourism.

A mixture of large, well-established firms, and boutique wineries are gaining respect worldwide, and NSW’s wine industry has a bright future ahead.

The Regions

a picture of the Hunter Valley

Hunter Valley

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a picture of Orange, one of New South Wales' emerging wine regions

NSW Emerging Regions

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