Laying claim to Australia's longest-operating vineyard, the Hunter Valley needs no introductions. It's been a stalwart of the Aussie wine industry for almost 200 years, producing the world's best semillon and peppery shiraz that belongs at any backyard barbecue. But it's in the regional towns, and the sprawling suburbs of Sydney, that distillers and craft brewers are making their mark on the state. From Orange to Eden and Byron Bay to Armidale, the state is a hotbed of liquid innovation, so be sure to keep a glass at the ready next time you drive through.