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THEY call themselves the Hunter Gathering and they include some of the most familiar faces in the Hunter Valley wine industry.
With the Hunter struggling to gain gatekeeper attention time in the face of “natural” wines and cool-climate offerings, the new group aims to remind wine lovers of the charm of Hunter semillon and Hunter shiraz, two classic Australian wine styles.
They also want to let the wine-loving public know that the Hunter Valley is no two-trick pony, with an impressive range of alternative varietals. The intrepid band, led by luminaries, including Andrew Thomas, Andrew Margan and Mike de Iuliis, recently hosted tastings and lunches for somelliers and media in both Melbourne and Sydney. Discussions revolved around “two amazing vintages in a row” in 2017 and 2018, as well as what is new and exciting in the world of Hunter Valley winemaking. The Hunter Gathering represents eight leading wineries from the region – Brokenwood, Tyrrell’s, Mount Pleasant, Audrey Wilkinson, David Hook, Thomas Wines, De Iuliis Wines and Margan.
“A few of us sitting here decided we were sick of doing trade shows on our own, so we decided to get together and have some fun with like-minded people,” said Margan, who like several other members was previously involved in the Hunter Next Gen group. The Hunter Gatherers are a pretty blokey bunch. Look out for these funsters and follow them on Facebook.