By James Atkinson
New releases from Oakvale Wines demonstrate it is on the way to restoring its position as one of the Hunter Valley's iconic wineries, its new owners say.
Oakvale was purchased in 2010 by the Becker family, owners of the Ablington Vineyard in Pokolbin.
Since the takeover, winemaker James Becker, along with Hunter Valley legend Patrick Auld, has been using small batches of quality grapes from around the valley to craft the wines under the Oakvale label.
"We have also recently upgraded our winery and have incorporated a number new innovations which we are now trialling with various parcels of fruit," Becker said.
The owners say their new release 2011 Oakvale Single Vineyard Shiraz ($45) and 2011 Oakvale Limited Release Reserve Chardonnay ($40) reignite the label's strong tradition and premium positioning in the Hunter.
Marketing and sales manager Chris Searle told TheShout that Oakvale was one of the iconic wine brands of the Hunter Valley during ownership by the Elliott family that established it in 1893.
"However after the Elliott family relinquished control the next owners saw the focus gradually shift from producing premium wines to generating greater volumes and heavily discounted prices – a position which the Becker family is committed to reversing in order to restore Oakvale to its original iconic status."