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reads Brokenwood Hunter Valley
Founded
1970
Winemaker
Stuart Hordern
Size
35.5 acres in the Hunter Valley
Climate
Warm/hot, summer-dominant rainfall
Key Varietals
Semillon, Shiraz

Hunter Valley, Australia

Wines

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"Brokenwood is one of the Hunter Valley's top wineries, led for the past 35 years by Iain Riggs...While Riggs crafted some terrific wines over the years, I think his most important contribution was making Brokenwood something of an incubator for Australia's best young winemaking talent."

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

About

A benchmark Australian winery founded in 1970 by Sydney trio Tony Albert, John Beeston and Australia’s leading wine critic, James Halliday, Brokenwood evolved from a weekend venture for these self-professed hobby winemakers into one of Australia’s most reputable wine labels. These enthusiastic partners knew little about viticulture, thus the early vintages were a labor of love for them and the family and friends they roped in to help. In spite of this, the distinct reds received praise from the earliest vintages, and with the appointment of winemaker, Iain Riggs, in 1982, the company extended its range to include the jewel of the Hunter Valley, semillon. Thirty-five years later, Brokenwood is known for producing some of Australia’s most long-lived Semillons, and one of the nation’s most iconic single vineyard wines, the Graveyard Shiraz, which Australia’s leading auction house, Langton’s, lists among the top twenty-five in the country. While the size of the company has grown, the operation remains deliberately labor intensive with the intent of retaining individuality and quality.

aerial image of green vineyard rows surrounded by trees and mountain landscape

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Winemaking

man leans on leafy green vines in a vineyard Stuart Hordern, Senior Winemaker, joined Brokenwood in 2009. Stuart encapsulates the new breed of young winemakers, dedicated to the region and striving to produce the best wines possible while learning from the masters, like his mentor and predecessor Iain Riggs, to further develop his craft. Not surprisingly, quality is paramount for this icon label. Low yields, hands-off processing and top quality French oak are the norm. In producing these regional benchmarks, the winemaking team adheres to tradition while remaining innovative in their approach, keeping a watchful eye on alcohol levels, tannin and oak to ensure these wines are balanced, yet structured for longevity. These are modern classics that exhibit a true sense of place.

Viticulture

In a region considered relatively warm and subtropical, the presence of summer-dominant rainfall, afternoon cloud-cover and weak sea breezes temper what could otherwise be a challenging climate for the production of quality table wine. This unique climate provides the Hunter Valley with an impressive grape-growing history, with the first vineyards being planted in 1825 by one of pioneers of the Australian wine industry, James Busby. The jewel in Brokenwood’s crown is a vineyard planted a century later: the Graveyard Vineyard. Responsible for the flagship Shiraz, its heavy clay soils produce low yields and intense flavors. Riggs’ passion for exploring premium regions to produce single vineyard wines has also seen fruit sourced from outside the Hunter Valley. This fruit complements the Hunter’s Shiraz and Semillon with aromatic complexity and style diversity, namely Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir.

Stewardship

In the winery and in the vineyards, Brokenwood demonstrates its commitment to land preservation and energy efficiency, and is a certified member of Sustainable Winegrowing Australia. As well, they have been a signatory to the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) since 2010.  Some recent projects include a movement to 23% solar energy for the winery. In the fields, planting native insectary corridors and mid-row cover crops enhance biodiversity and promote resilience in the vineyard, while reducing their chemical usage.