As I write this I am on a plane flying from Newcastle in New South Wales to Melbourne. I have just finished my first visit to a vineyard in Australia and have been blown away by what I have seen.
Our Bushland Reserve Shiraz and Reserve Chardonnay are made by the Hope Estate who is based in the Hunter Valley. This famous region, which lies two hours drive to the north of Sydney, was once home to many famous brands but as demand grew for their wines they moved to more “productive” wine growing areas, where quality has been sacrificed for volume. Michael Hope, the owner of Hope Estate, is determined to keep the Hunter Valley story alive and has recently purchased the Rothbury Winery once home to Len Evans- a legendary figure in the Australian wine industry. The winery sits at the entrance to the Lower Hunter and by using the famous cask room as a function area Michael has turned the winery into a major visitor attraction. Some of the huge wooden casks which encircle the room have been signed by famous visitors, such as Malcolm Fraser the Australian Prime Minister, Adam Gilchrist and Denis Lilee, and Britain’s own John Cleese.
The grapes for our wines are grown further up the valley at the Broke Estate, also owned by Michael. The vineyard is on a gentle slope nestling against The Great Dividing Range. Where the vineyard ends the bush begins and as twilight fell I was intrigued to see a group of kangaroos make their way to the edge of the vineyard. You don’t see that in Bordeaux!! As I walked amongst the vines examining the soil structure Michael mentioned that I should keep an eye out for brown snakes as he hadn’t any antidote in the car. I casually enquired as to how deadly the venom of the brown snake was and his response that it wouldn’t be worth calling the ambulance had me back in the 4×4 faster than a possum up a tree.
Together we have been working on new blends for a single Estate Chardonnay and Single Estate Rosé to partner our Shiraz and we believe that the wines from the Broke vineyard have hit the nail on the head. They are so good that we believe that If it ain’t Broke don’t drink it!