Sip into Spring!
- Your Hunter Valley Magazine
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
Spring – that glorious season when the Hunter Valley bursts back to life, the vines awaken with fresh growth, and suddenly all we want is to be outdoors with a glass in hand and good food on the table.
This is the season for wines that mirror the landscape around us: crisp, vibrant, and full of energy. Think refreshing whites served properly chilled, perfect alongside the seafood platters, garden salads, fresh pasta, and alfresco feasts that define springtime entertaining. But here's something many visitors to our cellar doors don't realise – spring doesn't mean abandoning red wines entirely. The key is choosing lighter styles with bright acidity, restrained tannins, and moderate alcohol. Serve them with a gentle chill, and you'll discover how beautifully they complement warm-weather dining.
Changing your wine choices with the seasons isn't just practical – it's an invitation to explore the incredible diversity our region offers. As the days lengthen and temperatures climb, let your palate follow suit toward wines that feel fresh, clean, and effortlessly drinkable. Rosé has earned its reputation as the ultimate spring sipper, and for good reason. Straddling the line between red and white, it's magnificently versatile – whether you're grilling prawns, searing tuna, or simply enjoying the afternoon sun with friends.
But let's talk about the Hunter's signature variety: Hunter Valley Semillon remains our most compelling spring wine, and 2025 is shaping up as another stellar vintage. Naturally low in alcohol and bracingly fresh when young, it pairs magnificently with Sydney rock oysters, local prawns, and delicate white fish. Cellared examples – with their evolved complexity – shine alongside richer dishes, such as smoked salmon, roast chicken, or lobster mornay.
Chardonnay continues its reign as the region's most popular white, and our producers are crafting styles that range from lean and mineral to generous and textured. It's your reliable choice for everything from grilled snapper to creamy pasta, and it never fails to please a crowd.
Pinot Gris (or Grigio, depending on the winemaker's style) offers a perfect blend of crispness and fruit – think pear, apple, and honeydew melon. It's wonderfully food-friendly and handles everything from fresh salads to spicy Thai equally well.
While Verdelho thrives across Australia, some of the finest examples come from right here in the Hunter. With its tropical fruit notes and zippy freshness, it's brilliant with Vietnamese, Thai, or Malaysian cuisine, though it's equally satisfying on its own as the sun sets over the vines.
Sparkling wine needs no special occasion – though spring's arrival feels like reason enough to celebrate. The effervescence and bright acidity make it wonderfully refreshing, and it partners beautifully with oysters, prosciutto, soft cheeses, and lighter canapés at spring gatherings.
When it comes to reds, Pinot Noir leads the charge for warm weather drinking. Elegant and food-friendly, it pairs superbly with duck, salmon, mushroom dishes, and charcuterie boards. A slight chill (cellar temperature or 20 minutes in the fridge) brings out its best.
Grenache is having a renaissance moment in Australian wine, and deservedly so. Light on its feet yet packed with flavour, it's tailormade for pizza nights, Mediterranean mezze, and long conversations on warm evenings.
Sangiovese – the soul of Tuscany – has found a happy home in several Hunter vineyards. Pair it with tomato-based dishes, grilled vegetables, and olive oil-rich Italian fare, and you'll understand why it's such a natural fit for spring.
As you explore the Hunter Valley's cellar doors this season, we encourage you to be adventurous. Try a variety you've never encountered before. Ask the staff for their spring recommendations. You might discover your new seasonal favourite – and that's what makes this time of year so exciting for wine lovers.
Our top picks!
Peterson House
Prosecco
Tank fermented, fruity crisp and refreshing. Straw green in colour. The aroma has subtle ripe tropical fruit and crispy pear notes.
TASTING Fresh and spritzy with lively bubbles, juicy pear and melon notes, and a zesty acid finish that refreshes sip after sip.
FOOD MATCH One for all occasions. Start with pre lunch or pre dinner.
CELLARING Drink now!
PRICE $34.
Bonvilla Estate
Villa Blanc Sparkling Chardonnay
This sparkling is a party in a bottle! Made from hand picked Chardonnay and crafted to hold fine bubbles.
TASTING Smells like fresh pear with a hint of honey and buttered toast, ending on a crisp dry note.
FOOD MATCH Spanner crab or salmon tartare.
CELLARING Perfect now or up to 4 years.
PRICE $36.
Latitude 32 Wines
2022 The Great White Semillon Chardonnay
The two grape varieties, arguably the greatest whites of the Hunter Valley, create a bright, vibrant fresh wine. This is the perfect wine for spring because it’s light, refreshing and oh so easy to drink!
TASTING The tropical and stone fruit characteristics from the Chardonnay, combined with the punchy citrus of the Semillon, ensure a wine with length, structure and added complexity.
FOOD MATCH The perfect drink for a spring afternoon with friends or family
CELLARING Why bother! Drink now.
PRICE $28.
Tamburlaine Organic Wines
Alannah Méthode Champenoise
This special reserve cuvée is named after granddaughter Alannah; one of a kind, engaging and sophisticated. 4 years on yeast lees before blending.
TASTING Refreshingly light across the palate with delicate citrus and ripe green apple flavours. The time on yeast lees shows, with creamy dough-like complexity that gives length and linger.
FOOD MATCH Oysters and soft brie cheese or any special occasion.
CELLARING 10+ years in a good cellar.
PRICE $60.
Saddler's Creek Wines
2025 Single Suitcase Fiano
The medal-winning Fiano, a noble variety with roots in 13th-century Campania, thrives in the Hunter Valley’s unique terroir. Celebrated for its vibrant fruit, waxy texture, and food-friendly character, this wine’s delicate oak influence adds complexity, showcasing Fiano’s natural generosity and remarkable renaissance in the modern glass.
TASTING Vibrant and textural with aromas of melon and pear, hints of toasted nut, and a generous, balanced palate.
FOOD MATCH Risotto alla Pescatora.
CELLARING Drink now, or cellar 3-5 years.
PRICE $40.
Gartelmann Wines
2024 Veronica Rosé
A 2024 gem consisting of 100% Hunter Valley Shiraz and abundant 'strawberries and cream' characters. Subtle sweetness is offset with balanced acid so that the wine fills the mouth whilst remaining dry and lively. A rosé for red wine lovers and the young or young at heart.
TASTING Tingling spices tantalise the palate with a fruity wreath of berries. Subtle sweetness is off-set with just enough acid, so that is mouth-filling yet refreshingly dry on the very lively finish.
FOOD MATCH
Serve chilled with soy salmon, steamed duck, BBQ’d seafood, grilled haloumi... in fact anything smoky or salty will work a treat.
CELLARING Drink now and over the next 2 years.
PRICE $25.
