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 One of the delights of the incredible growth in Australia's wine industry is the expansion of new regions. Visitors find that many of these new regions are beautiful and historically interesting locations in their own right. The addition of wineries and vineyards only make them more appealing. In fact it is often the case that wine grapes were once grown in these regions only to eventually decline until our wine revival brought them to life again.
One such region is the Hilltops area in South Western New South Wales with the beautiful town of Young at its heart. The region is four hours drive from Sydney and two hours from Canberra and can form part of a wider NSW winery tour if time permits taking in Orange, Cowra, Young, Griffith, Tumbarumba and Canberra.
Young is rightly famous for its wonderful cherry crops with prime yields usually available just in time for Christmas. The region also produces a variety of stone fruit, olives, prunes and other high quality agricultural crops – even access to some of Australia's best inland trout stocks all ensuring the visitor to the region will find first class food to enjoy.
But it is now wine, and recognition of the rich history of the region that is making any visit to Young more enjoyable than ever. Five cellar door outlets and two olive farms are giving the wine enthusiast serious reasons to give the Hilltops region plenty of attention. All five wineries are within 10 minutes drive from Young, some open seven days a week and all open weekends and public holidays. A bonus is that all wineries are still of a size where you're just as likely to be speaking to the winemaker or one of the close team when tasting. For the record the wineries are: Chalkers Crossing, Lindsay’s Woodonga Hill, Hansen Hilltops, Demondrille and the particularly lovely Grove Estate (pictured upper).
I was struck by the overall quality of the Hilltops wines during a recent visit. The typically classic varieties of Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Shiraz, Riesling, Semillon and Pinot Noir dominate production. However the energy, curiosity and enthusiasm of the region's winemakers has also seen early experimentation with emerging varieties of more recent interest such as Sangiovese, Gewurtztramminer - even a Zinfandel is available and a strikingly good one at that. Whites generally do well, however it has been the Reds in recent years that have really been producing stunning results. So much so that the Chalkers Crossing 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon won a trophy for best Cabernet/Merlot at the 2001 Canberra Regional Wine Show, one of Australia's most reliable regional wine shows.(Chalkers Crossing Tasting Room pictured lower)
Cool climate conditions, especially in the early part of the growing cycle, ensure challenges for growers and winemakers alike. But the rewards are often stunning fruit enabling the development of deep, well structured wines. Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon have been especially successful in recent years. All the wineries are set in beautiful countryside noted for its gentle rolling hills as far as the eye can see. Weather is generally enjoyable all year round and there is excellent advice and guidance for all visitors.
The town of Young itself is a very pretty and historically interesting place. Many 19th century buildings remain well kept, their design reflecting the wealth gold mining brought to the area around 1860 when over 20 million pounds stirling worth of gold was mined. An excellent local museum and the Lambing Flat Chinese Tribute Garden also provide a fascinating insight to the Chinese experience in Young including the infamous Chinese riots.
For more information check out http://www.young.nsw.gov.au/welcomeyoung/
February 2002
Photos by David Boden
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