The Hunter Valley honoured a number of key local winemaking figures last night at the Hunter Valley Wine Industry Awards.
Gathering at Wyndham Estate, the community inducted Jay Tulloch (Tulloch Wines), Bruce Tyrrell (Tyrrell’s Wines), Phil Ryan (McWilliam’s Mount Pleasant) and Fay McGuigan (McGuigan Wines) into the Hunter Valley Living Legends.
The annual awards also saw Jim Chatto of Peppertree Wines take out the Winemaker of the Year title and the Rising Star went to Brokenwood’s Sarah Crowe.
Viticulturist of the Year went to Ian Tinkler from Tinkler’s Vineyard, recognising his long-running work in the region.
Meanwhile, Cellar Door of the Year went to Scarborough Wines and new this year was the Heritage Award, which acknowledges landmarks or items of historical significance that have influenced Hunter Valley history.
The inaugural Heritage Award went to Uncle Dan’s Slab Hat at Tyrrell’s Vineyards, which was home to Edward Tyrrell who settled on the property in 1858.
Today, the hut stands in the car park of the winery and is a point of interest for visitors to the site.