First Creek are really winning over a lot of new fans, especially wine drinkers who may have previously not given the Hunter Valley its fair dues. In the glass: Deep garnet to purple. On the nose: Black and blueberry fruit, and spice. On the palate: Medium to full-bodied with luscious texture and soft tannins. Showing black cherry, blueberry and vanilla alongside red liquorice notes. Long and moreish.

Krinklewood Shiraz is a deep plum coloured wine from Hunter Valley. The bouquet of this classic red offers spiced aromas of plums, cherries, forest timber and dried apple. The well-structured palate exhibits velvety-smooth tannins layered over vibrant fruit characters. The wine has a bright, engaging and lengthy finish. This medium-bodied wine will continue to develop with careful cellaring. Pair it with barbecues, grilled meat, lamb chops or pork tenderloin.

A Gold and Bronze medal winner, Three Ponds Holman Shiraz was only made in very small quantities in years worthy of the Holman Estate label. Flaunting a dark purple colour in a glass, this Hunter Valley Shiraz has aromas and flavours of dark berries, chocolate, tobacco and saddle leather. Open fermentation and ageing in the finest French oak barrels has provided it with a great cellaring potential. It tastes best when paired with beef, lamb or poultry dishes.

The Johannes family have recently purchased the Onikul Vineyard and renamed it the JohannesBurg Vineyard. This is a sentimental name as the family is of German heritage who were living in South Africa and have moved to Australia. Johannes - Family name;Burg - German for fortress/castleJohannesburg - City in South AfricaJohannesBurg - Family fortress to keep the family safe in Australia. The 2018 vintage was hot and dry and resulted in an early harvest with relatively low yields. The fruit for this Shiraz came from the eastern block on the southern side of the JohannesBurg Vineyard. It was machine harvested on the night of the 7th February from about 8 pm. This was the first vintage for the Johannes family and they worked through the night with Neil Stevens and Graeme Lewis to pick the fruit. The fruit was taken back to the winery on Wilderness Road and placed in the capable hands of the winemaker, Ashley Horner, and his two trusty sidekicks Michael and Callan. The fruit sat overnight before being cold soaked and crushed into open air fermenters. The fruit was extremely concentrated and had beautiful, vibrant colour. The ferment was closely monitored and was pumped over for 15-20 minutes morning and night. Once fermented, the wine was pressed off into two new French Oak Puncheons with the remaining going into 6 x older Saury French Oak barriques. The wine sat on oak for approximately 11 months and was bottled on 27 February, 2019.This Shiraz is very approachable now with cherries and raspberry flavours dominant on the nose and palate. It is quite an elegant wine with plenty of fresh fruit flavours balanced nicely with toasty oak.Limited Release of 260 Dozen.

Leogate Estate was established in 2009 by Bill and Vicki Widin, however, their vines are much older. The winery has maintained a 5 Red Star rating for well over a decade now, and their Western Slope has rarely fallen below 95pts in that same period, such is the impressive consistency of this Reserve Shiraz. The 2017 vintage presented a smaller yield vintage for Hunter reds, which means concentration of flavour has been high. This is well deserving of a place in your cellar. “It puts on a classy display based on a core of cherry-plum flavour though it's also appropriately adorned in smoky, cedary oak. Earth and spice notes strut throughout and the texture is silken. It doesn't put a foot wrong, and it's impressive... 95pts” (Halliday Wine Companion, Campbell Mattinson).

Classical elegant Hunter shiraz, crafted from 50-year-old vines. Plums and violets on the nose, with touches of lavender and licorice. Savoury nuances mingle with juicy fruits on the palate, framed by smooth tannins. "A welcome confluence of 50yo vines, 12 months in (1st to 3rd pass) French barriques, volcanic loams and plenty of destemmed whole berries to impart a pulpy, lively jubiness to the fruit, all accentuated by a violet lift. Licorice straps and lavender notes, too. This is a benchmark medium-bodied Hunter red, drinking akin to a luncheon claret. Just what the region does well... 93pts" (Ned Goodwin MW, Halliday Wine Companion).

The first and only Barbera planted in the Hunter. This juicy red has become the biggest seller at Margan's cellar door and the former 2019 vintage took out a Trophy. Rhubarb, cherry and spice on the nose, typical of this Italian varietal. Bright red fruits and savoury spice on the palate, enlivened with a crunchy acidity. Partners with tomato-based dishes and lamb. Medium bodied.