This year’s Hunter Valley Wine Show has been a remarkable one for our team. Five Gold Medals and Three Silvers is an outstanding result, particularly following the single Gold awarded in 2025 to our 2023 Sweetwater Shiraz.
It’s a result that reflects the dedication and hard work of our entire vineyard and winemaking team.
Sweetwater continues to establish itself among the Hunter Valley’s great Shiraz sites. Our 2024 Sweetwater Shiraz received Gold, following the Gold awarded to the 2023 vintage last year.
It’s a fantastic back-to-back result for a vineyard and wine we believe are genuinely world-class. The 2025 Sweetwater Shiraz Touriga also received Gold, as did the 2024 Mataro Shiraz Touriga, while the 2023 Sweetwater Shiraz was awarded Silver.
At Dalwood Estate, the 2023 and 2025 Shiraz both received Silver. These are beautifully fresh, modern and chiselled expressions of this historic site and reinforce our belief that Dalwood has a distinctive identity within the Hunter.
Results like these strengthen the case for recognising the remarkable differences between the Hunter's great subregional sites.
Sweetwater at Belford and Dalwood are producing wines of such individual character, consistency and quality that we believe the conversation around more precise geographical recognition within the Hunter Valley deserves to continue. Provenance matters, and these vineyards demonstrate why.
It was also a wonderful moment for Hungerford Hill Classic Verdelho 2026, which received Gold and the Trophy for Best Verdelho.
This is a wine that sells out year after year, and the result is particularly rewarding because it allows us to celebrate our long-standing grower Fred Garside and the quality and consistency of the fruit he provides us.
The Classic Verdelho was also recognised among the finalists for the Petrie-Drinan Trophy for Best White Wine of Show, further underlining the calibre of contemporary Hunter Valley Verdelho.
Our 2023 Epic Shiraz received Gold, while for the first time we entered both Epic Shiraz and Sweetwater Shiraz into the prestigious Wine of Provenance category. This is an important step for us. Great Hunter Valley wines are not simply defined by individual vintages; they should demonstrate a clear sense of identity, longevity and consistency over time.
Our blends also performed exceptionally well. Gold medals for the Sweetwater Shiraz Touriga and Mataro Shiraz Touriga highlight another side of what we are working to achieve: wines with genuine provenance and personality that remain approachable, versatile and immensely drinkable. We continue to see a strong response to wines that bring together heritage, provenance, value and, above all, drinkability.
Finally, this Show marks an important transition for Hungerford Hill. It provides a wonderful opportunity to recognise the contribution of departing winemaker Bryan Currie, while celebrating the beginning of a new chapter with our winemaking and vineyard team.
Great wine is the result of many hands, seasons and years of care. These results reflect the care, commitment and collective effort that has gone into these vineyards and wines over time.
Five Golds. Three Silvers. A trophy. Back-to-back recognition for Sweetwater Shiraz. And outstanding results across Hungerford Hill, Dalwood and Sweetwater.
A remarkable year and a wonderful crowning of the collective effort, belief, and energy of our entire team.
Pierre Durand
General Manager & Senior Winemaker
Hungerford Hill | Sweetwater Estate | Dalwood Estate