Australia's first vines were planted in New South Wales near the present-day Government House in 1788. The first commercial wine was made in NSW and the first wine exported to England - by Gregory Blaxland in 1823.

Not any part of New South Wales experienced a gold rush like Victoria did, nor got an advent of Silesian pioneers with grape growing know-how - as did South Australia, which assisted these States in establishing a wine industry of great size and significance.

The centre of viticultural activity before long relocated from Sydney to the Hunter Valley and remains there to this day. The Hunter Valley has always depended on its nearness to Sydney. As tourism has thrived The Hunter has shined, and its future is totally guaranteed. It is a natural winemaking region with many tourist attractions.

The introduction of irrigation in 1914 combined with two successive waves of Italian immigrants, the first after World War 1 and the second after World War 2, gave the beginnings to the Riverina areas along the Murray River.

Between 1945 and the 1960's the Riverina became the most productive wine-producing area in NSW. A competent and economical producer of good quality white cask wine, its desire for superior things achieves with its botrytis- infected Semillon.

The coastal regions of New South Wales depend on the tourist market, but the quickly spreading viticulture along the western side of the Great Dividing Range indicates land suitability for vine growing. At present there are new regions stretching from Cowra and the Canberra district in the south to Mudgee in the north.

More and more wine regions will thrive if they have exceptional climatic and geographic advantages or if they are close to major markets or on major tourist routes.

It is surprising to note that NSW produces only 30% of the total national wine production, especially when considering the population, size and geography of New South Wales.

NSW 2000 - 2001 wine production totalled 312,703,000 litres.