A different taste of wine country

Cathy Lin hesitated when a friend suggested that her family visit a winemaking area for a day during their vacation in Sydney.

After all, Lin and her husband did not really drink alcohol and their son was only 11.

But when they found out that the Hunter Valley was just about two hours' drive from the city, it suddenly seemed like an attractive stop on their weeklong holiday.

"It had good food and other family-friendly draws other than wine — like chocolates, cheese, hot-air ballooning and golf — so we decided to check it out," said Lin, 38, an accountant from Fuzhou, capital of East China's Fujian province.

The family ended up driving around the picturesque valley. Lin herself squeezed in a wellness spa treatment after they visited a wildlife park and took in the rolling hills on a short horseback trail ride. She even managed to sample a few wines at a winery as her husband took over the wheel.

"We saw kangaroos grazing around vineyards under the warm sunshine. It turned out to be quite an Australian experience," she said.

Tradition and innovation

The first grape vines were planted in the Hunter Valley in the early 19th century, making it Australia's oldest wine region and now the largest of its kind in the state of New South Wales, according to tourism authorities.

With more than 150 wineries established, the valley has since become famous at home and abroad for its gourmet food and fresh agricultural produce, offering refined epicurean options alongside its award-winning restaurants and high-end recreational activities. Many savvy, well-heeled visitors from cosmopolitan Sydney are increasingly attracted to the valley's wellness and cultural offerings such as restorative retreats, ecogastronomy cooking schools and local art galleries.

The valley lists at least 42 cellar door wine tasting spots, seven distilleries and brewhouses, eight pubs, bars and taverns, and 50 restaurants and related food establishments offering local produce from cheese to chocolate.

The anchor wineries and vineyards here are justifiably proud of their niche vintages when compared with the major producers in the country's south, like those in the Barossa Valley, helping to put Australian wines on tables worldwide.

Australia itself has more than 1,000 wine exporters catering to over 100 destinations across the globe — in the 12 months to December last year, the value of Australian wine exports totaled A$2.34 billion ($1.68 billion) at a volume of 613 million liters, according to statutory authority Wine Australia.

Those numbers actually recorded a year-on-year fall, which was attributed in part to a "long-term trend of declining wine consumption in major markets around the world".

"Consumers are reducing overall alcohol consumption in line with wellness trends and in order to save money as the cost-of-living increases," Peter Bailey, Wine Australia manager of market insights, said in a statement.

The major Chinese mainland market itself is "in the midst of a reset — moving away from formal dinners to more casual and intentional occasions", according to the wine authority.

Still, Chinese demand continues to be "especially important for premium Australian wine", it said.

While the Chinese mainland market has traditionally been geared toward red wine, it is shifting toward lighter wine styles, with women in particular driving the move toward white wine, "preferring it for pairing with spicy food".

In response to these changing tastes, the industry is embracing "lighter lifestyle wines", a "fresh, modern wine category crafted with intentionally lower alcohol and a lighter profile, designed to support today's 'lighter lifestyle' mindset".

Mid-strength wines, according to Wine Australia, sit at the heart of the trend "crafted to deliver a lighter profile and lower alcohol content. This supports mid-strength wines to be an easy to choose, easy to pair and easy to share option that elevates everyday moments while maintaining a sense of control and a balanced lifestyle".

More winemakers in the Hunter Valley are already adjusting to the trends by moving beyond the area's distinctive semillon, shiraz and chardonnay varieties to comparatively lighter-bodied types of wines like rose and verdelho that are also deliberately made to be lower in alcohol content.

Jon Wilson, who works at a valley winery, said a growing number of visitors, including Chinese tourists, are opting for less alcohol in their travel and shopping itinerary, with minimal and light wines reserved for pairings with meals on-site, if at all.

"The typically younger couples and families mostly come to just get an idea of the Australian winemaking heritage, made very convenient in any case with our proximity to Sydney. So it's great that they can also choose all the other non-wine attractions," Wilson said.

"If visitors can enjoy our food, sweet and savory, marvel at our amazing scenery, recharge and rejuvenate with a relaxing massage or yoga session, take the family to a farm or art gallery, that all works very well too," he said.

Suitable stopover

Sydney tour guide Maggie Li said the Hunter Valley is a manageable size for a wine valley visit.

"It's small in planted area compared to those in the Western Australia, South Australia and Victoria states. The fun part about a wine tour is 'hopping' to different wineries, cellar doors, so you cover quite a bit of ground in a relatively short time here," Li said.

"Taste top Australian tipples at the wineries, pair a few impressive bottles with a lunch and dinner made up of fresh local produce, buy a vintage or two of your liking to cellar at home, and take in the surrounding sights or enjoy the other leisure spots the next day. It's a perfect weekend getaway," she said.

Li highlighted flame-grilling prime Australian beef cuts over fire-pits paired generously with wine served on long tables for lunches that extend languidly toward dinnertime, trying a hand at cheese-making, or signing up for a cooking class to perfect a pastry or cake, as part of the valley food trail.

For those who want to get even more hands-on, they can join local farming families to harvest avocados, figs and citrus fruit that supply the restaurants, she said. The area is also known for its olive groves, with boutique cultivators leveraging the Mediterranean-like climate for premium olive oil to drizzle over fresh salads and pasta.

"Those who want a break from the wines can also make the rounds on the independent craft breweries here," Li said.

"The beer tours go very appropriately with live band performances and music festivals."

The Hunter Valley Wine and Beer Festival in July promises "entertainment from well-known local musicians, foods from a wide range of providores and the opportunity to relax in the spacious lawns", according to the state tourism agency.

Children get complimentary entry to the family-friendly event, with a variety of activities in store, including a jumping castle, train rides, a carousel, and face painting.

For Lin, the tourist, her family's visit to the Hunter Valley is just one of many more to come.

"We like Sydney so we'll definitely be back to the valley as well, next time with more family and friends," she said.