The Hunter Valley has launched a new organisation and marketing campaign to emphasise its family heritage, while providing a fresh direction for the historic NSW wine region.
With the tagline ‘We are Family’, the newly formed Hunter Valley Wine Industry Association (HVWIA) has a strategic plan that will emphasise the importance of the region’s winemaking families and generational changes that have occurred.
The committee behind the project represents many of the significant family-run wineries that have been in the Hunter for up to five generations, as well as newer families now putting their own stamp on the region.
It includes Geoff Krieger from Brokenwood Wines, Andrew Margan from Margan Family Wines, Bruce Tyrrell from Tyrrell’s Wines and Christina Tulloch of Tulloch Wines. Also involved are Ken Bray of Braemore Wines, Andrew Thomas of Thomas Wines, Greg West from McWilliam’s and Will Creedon from Roche Wines, among other long-standing regional identities.
Australia’s oldest and most visited wine region has formed the HVWIA to combine the efforts of grape growers, vignerons, winemakers and cellar door operators. It collectively aims to develop and support the Hunter Valley by implementing a strategic business plan that addresses marketing, viticulture, winemaking and policy issues.
The HVWIA will take over the roles of both the Hunter Valley Vineyard Association (HVVA) and Wine Hunter Marketing, formed after an exhaustive 18-month process.