EXPLORE NEW SOUTH WALES

Your guide to the best flavours from the winegrowing regions.

"NSW was the cradle of the nation's winemaking, originating in the Hunter Valley in 1828."

NSW was the cradle of the nation's winemaking, originating in the Hunter Valley in 1828. The Hunter, two hours north of Sydney, remains a popular wine region, hosting festivals, concerts and tasting events throughout the year, and boasting more than 60 cafés and restaurants. Among close to 120 cellar doors are the well-known Tyrrell's, McWilliam's Mount Pleasant, Hungerford Hill, Tulloch and Brokenwood, and there are also many boutique producers of note. The region is best known for age-worthy semillons and shirazes but varieties including verdelho and chardonnay also thrive, as do many olive groves. Outside the Hunter, the cool-climate region of Orange in the Central West of the state is enjoying a surge of popularity and produces fine chardonnays and sauvignon blancs, while there are also grape-growing regions at Mudgee, Cowra, Tumbarumba and the Hilltops region outside Young, along with the massive irrigated vineyards in and around Griffith in the Riverina.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE

JAMES ROBSON

The Ross Hill winemaker shares his insider's guide to the best of Orange.

Read the Q&A with James Robson>

Hunter Valley

Known as “Sydney's playground”, the Hunter is Australia's most-visited wine region. Grapes have been grown here since 1828 and the Hunter is a favourite with weekend visitors from Sydney – a two- or three-hour drive away depending on the traffic. It hosts many gourmet festivals (cheeses, olive oil, cured meats and confectionery are specialities) and is most famous for its semillons, which are crisp when young but develop beautifully when cellared. Shiraz, made in a medium-bodied style, is also a star here, while chardonnay and verdelho are popular.

"Known as 'Sydney's playground', the Hunter is Australia's most-visited wine region."

The best-known cellar doors centre around Pokolbin and include Tyrrell’s, McWilliam’s Mount Pleasant, Hungerford Hill, Tulloch, Drayton’s, Brokenwood, Tempus Two and Lindeman's while there are also dozens of smaller family-owned producers, particularly in the Lovedale sub-region. It is worth seeking out the Leogate cellar door and visiting the First Creek cellar door, as well as popping in to Margan Wines, which has a delightful restaurant at Broke. Just down the road is leading biodynamic producer Krinklewood.

Leogate

Leogate established their vineyard in Brokenback in 2009.

The Leogate Celler door is hard to miss with its opulence

and striking visage. Here, you can enjoy a fireside tasting

or relax on the alfresco overlooking the vineyards.

First Creek

First Creek Wines is a family business and has been

consistently exemplary. They source quality fruit from

prominent vineyards across the Hunter Valley

and NSW to ensure the wine is made using premium fruit

and to produce a diverse range of varietals.

Greater NSW

The Central West of the state boasts wine regions centred around Mudgee, Cowra and Canowindra. It is Orange, however, that has surged ahead of its regional rivals in recent years with a range of small producers making stylish cool-climate wines. The region was originally known for its stone fruit industry but since the early 1980s it has boomed as a wine region with grapes being grown at elevations varying from 600 to 1100 metres above sea level.

"The town hosts many gourmet festivals and has several top-notch eateries."

Given these different terroirs, Orange is known as one of the most versatile wine regions with shiraz, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, pinot noir and several Italian grape varieties thriving alongside chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, riesling, pinot gris and gewürztraminer. The town hosts many gourmet festivals and has several top-notch eateries. Pioneering wineries include Bloodwood and Cargo Road while other standouts are Canobolas-Smith, Mayfield Vineyard, Patina, Printhie, Philip Shaw, De Salis, Angullong and Cumulus

MUST-VISIT CELLAR DOORS

This thriving Central West city is home to several quirky and interesting wine destinations. Former two-time International Winemaker of the Year Philip Shaw, once of Rosemount Estate, has swapped the big league for the country and now grows grapes at 900 metres and offers tastings in a lovingly restored bluestone cellar door.

Patina Wines is a family-owned estate on volcanic slopes with spectacular gardens and views to Mount Canobolas. Here, the tasting facility is actually part of the Naef family's home.

Mayfield Vineyard is home to one of the most picturesque tasting rooms in New South Wales, with a 100-year-old schoolhouse serving as the cellar door.

DISCOVER MORE ABOUT EACH STATE AND THEIR WINE REGIONS

Important information:

^Promoter: Qantas Airways Limited. Promotion Period: 12.01am (AEDT) 19 October 2023 to 11:59pm (AEDT) 10 December 2023. Eligible Entrants: Australian resident Qantas Frequent Flyer members (excluding NT), aged 21 years or older. Entry: Eligible Entrants must purchase any Moët & Chandon product from qantas.com/wine. Multiple entries permitted. Draw: 10:00am (AEDT) on 11 January 2024 at MDSA, Level 16, 1 Denison Street, North Sydney NSW 2060. Prize: A trip to France for the winner and one (1) guest valued at a maximum AU$30,000. Winner notification: By phone and email within 2 business days of the draw and their name will be published on wine.qantas.com/win from 18 January 2024 and the Prize winner will be announced in The Australian newspaper on 18 January 2024. View full terms and conditions at wine.qantas.com/terms-and- conditions-competitions. Liquor Act 2007 (NSW): No alcohol can be sold or supplied to anyone under 18. It’s against the law. Licence Number: NSW LIQP770016736, NT IRL0201, SA 57900154. Authorised under NSW Permit No. NTP/07785, ACT TP23/01935, SA Licence No. T23/1494. Qantas Frequent Flyer Operations Pty Limited ABN 22 132 484 210 of 10 Bourke Road, Mascot, NSW 2020 (telephone number 02 9578 4184).

*Save up to 60% this Christmas: Offer ends 13 December 2023 (AEDT) unless sold out prior. Qantas may withdraw or extend these offers at any time.

**New Qantas Wine Subscriptions: Members who have a Wine Subscription will earn bonus points if they retain the same Wine Subscription for four consecutive orders of the same case. Bonus points are contingent on the nominated Wine Subscription plan. Points will be credited to the member's Qantas Frequent Flyer account within 8 weeks of the final order delivery date.

1. Qantas Frequent Flyer members who are not Qantas Wine Premium members will earn 1 Qantas Point per dollar spent and Qantas Wine Premium members will earn 3 Qantas Points per dollar spent on Eligible Products and Services purchased through qantas.com/wine. Qantas Points can be earned on cash only purchases and the cash component of Points Plus Pay purchases on eligible products. The earning and redemption of Qantas Points are subject to the Qantas Frequent Flyer Terms and Conditions. Allow up to 6 weeks for Qantas Points to appear in your Qantas Frequent Flyer account.

2. Available for delivery within Australia only, subject to availability.

3. Bonus points available on selected cases only. The selected cases can change at any time.

4. Qantas Business Rewards members that have provided an individual Qantas Frequent Flyer number in their Qantas Business Rewards account before making a purchase will earn 2 Qantas Points per dollar spent for the business. The business’ name and individual Qantas Frequent Flyer number linked with the Qantas Business Rewards account must be added at checkout in order to earn points for the business. Qantas Points for the business are earned in addition to the points earned by the individual Qantas Frequent Flyer. Retrospective claims cannot be made. The additional points will be credited to the Qantas Business Rewards account within 30 days of purchase. For more information visit Qantas Business Rewards.

5. Points Club members will receive complimentary Qantas Wine Premium membership for the duration of their Points Club membership. Points Club Plus members will receive complimentary Qantas Wine Premium membership, plus an additional 10% discount on marked prices at Qantas Wine on all products, excluding Penfolds, for the duration of their Points Club Plus membership. 10% discount will be applied at checkout and cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotional offer or voucher code, except for the Points Club Plus birthday vouchers. To activate the complimentary Qantas Wine Premium membership, Points Club and Points Club Plus members will need to log into qantas.com/wine and the Qantas Wine Premium membership will automatically be added to their cart and benefits will be applied. For more information on Points Club visit qantas.com/pointsclub

All wine brands in the Sustainable Sips program hold Sustainable Winegrowing Australia Certification. Certified wineries have been independently audited against the Australian wine industry sustainability standard. While this means that practices within the winery meet the industry sustainability standard, there is no guarantee that all grapes used to make the wine have been sourced from a certified sustainable vineyard.

Liquor Act 2007 (NSW): No alcohol can be sold or supplied to anyone under 18. It’s against the law. Licence Number: NSW LIQP770016736, NT IRL0201, SA 57900154

For more Terms and Conditions, please click here.

We acknowledge the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work, live and fly. We pay respect to Elders past, present and emerging.