English immigrant George Wyndham began this most important page in Australia's winemaking history in 1828 when he planted his first vineyard at Dalwood, along the banks of the Hunter River, in New South Wales. Seven years later Dalwood Wines, as it was then known, released its first vintage to rave reviews and by the mid-1800s was exporting to England and India.
George Wyndham led the way in promoting the fledging Australian wine industry, showing Dalwood Wines in the Great Expositions of Europe and the USA. The Hunter Valley wines quickly bagged a swag of international medals and in the process earned the Australian wine industry a reputation for high standards and exceptional quality.
Wyndham Estate has continued the tradition of taking on the world with its superior winemaking and in 1988 was ranked number one at the prestigious Intervin International by winning 26 medals - a first for Australia. It did it again in 1989 and continues to impress to this day on the world stage with wines such as the 1999 Show Reserve Chardonnay winning Gold at the 2002 Chardonnay du Monde competition in France. An exclusive competition for the world's finest Chardonnays.
Today Wyndham Estate is renowned for much more than its wines. The original Dalwood vineyard has become a favourite tourist destination in the Hunter Valley, with its combination of fine food and entertainment to complement its popular wines. It houses a 400-seat restaurant and function facility, while the historic cellar door, open fermenters and 100-year-old operational basket press ensure guests enjoy the traditional winery experience.
Every year in the months preceding and throughout vintage the Wyndham Estate winemaking team travel over hundreds of kilometres to closely monitor a selection of premium vineyards situated in various winegrowing regions throughout South Eastern Australia. The team inspect these vineyards and taste the grapes at different stages of ripeness in order to ensure that they are harvested when the optimum flavour and acid balance is reached.
When they are not in the vineyard they can be found in the winery tasting ferments, assessing wines in barrel, evaluating wines being matured in bottle for release, or experimenting with new wine and oak combinations.
Previous international stars to headline the event include Ray Charles, Shirley Bassey, Michael Crawford, Cliff Richard and Anthony Warlow
The Wyndham Estate wine portfolio has been arranged into distinct ranges to suit a variety of consumers' tastes and budgets