The Hunter Region

Just 2 hours north of Sydney, The Hunter Valley is where Macquariedale Estate is situated. Not the biggest wine producing area of Australia but certainly the oldest and one of the most popular.

Climate
The East coast of Australia challenges the viticultural capability of the Hunter region grape growers. Of the 750 mm annual rainfall, 530 mm occurs between October and April, affecting most vintages. However, the rain, the humidity, the afternoon cloud cover and weak sea breezes all operate to reduce the impact of the heat that would otherwise seriously hamper the production of quality table wine. Against the odds, the Hunter Valley succeeds, and does so magnificently in recent years such as 1998 and the outstanding 2000.

Statistics
Sunshine hours per day: 7.3
Annual rainfall: 740 mm
Growing season rainfall: 530 mm
Mean January temperature: 22.7 ?C
Harvest: Mid-January-early March

Soil
The soils vary widely, from friable red duplex soils, through to deep friable loam soils such as one sees around the Macquariedale Estate Vineyards. The painful lessons of 1968 to 1988 are that much of the poorer soil, with heavy clay subsoils and poor drainage, is simply not suited to viticulture. Salinity has recently been recognised as an additional problem in restricting yields.

Principal Grape Varieties

Total: 2787 ha

**Macquariedale Estate acknowledges James Halliday and the WinePros organisation for some of the information used on this page.