16 Hunter Valley Producers Celebrated with Top Awards
The 2025 PKF Hunter Valley Wine Show was judged at the Lone Pine Barracks at the Singleton Army Base from Monday 11th to Wednesday 13th August, with the trophy winners’ luncheon celebrated today at Oaks Cypress Lakes Resort, with Johanna Griggs AM as Master of Ceremonies.
The 53rd Hunter Valley Wine Show attracted 68 exhibitors, with 679 entries, a strong number of entries reflecting the depth of the current and aged wine in the Hunter Valley. Chaired by Toni Paterson, Master of Wine, this year's show included an outstanding judging panel of experts from across Australia assessing close to 4000 bottles of Hunter Valley wine and awarding 80 Gold medals.
Dr Edward Ragg MW as International Judge brought extensive global experience. Based in Beijing, he co-founded Dragon Phoenix Wine Consulting with his wife, fellow Master of Wine Fongyee Walker MW, and is one of mainland China’s most experienced WSET Diploma tutors. A Robert Mondavi Award and Quinta do Noval Award winner; Edward has judged at leading shows in Australia and the Decanter World Wine Awards. He is also a respected wine writer and educator making him a highly respected voice in the global wine community.
In Toni’s first year as Chair of the Hunter Valley Wine Show, she commented ‘Across all classes, there is great diversity in the Hunter Valley beyond with great vineyards and winemaking talent. Wines that have integrity, personality, harmony and length are the hallmarks of good wines and there are many wines in this region that have these hallmarks. There is an enormous number of quality wines, and the Hunter Valley should be incredibly proud of that. We saw beauty in the wines everywhere we looked’.
The Petrie-Drinan Trophy for Best White Wine of Show was awarded to Tinklers Wines for their 2017 Reserve Semillon, which also won the Drayton Family Trophy for Best Semillon of Show as well as the Kaloudah Trophy for Best Table Wine from a Small Producer. The Best Current Semillon was awarded to Brokenwood for their 2025 Oakey Creek Vineyard #2 Semillon and Best One-Year-Old Semillon to Bimbadgen for its 2024 Palmers Lane Single Vineyard Semillon.
Commenting on the 2024 and 2025 Semillon classes, Toni said ‘The 2025 Semillon Class was incredibly strong, and the strength of the vintage was on display. The Hunter Valley produces a range of relevant and contrasting styles of Semillon which show how the region has matured and that winemakers are very comfortable working with the style their vineyard produces naturally.
The 2024 Semillon class was a surprise. I was thrilled with the quality given the year had its challenges which just shows, despite the vintage, there is always the potential for some fantastic wines’’. Edward added ‘The 2025 vintage allowed the winemakers to express the best of what they can do’.
The Len Evans Trophy for Best Single Vineyard White was awarded to Colvin Wines for their 2013 Semillon. The Tyrrell Family Trophy for Best Museum White Wine was awarded to Tyrrell’s for their 2006 Vat 1 Semillon. The judges noted that ‘One of the highlights of the show are the older Semillons. These classes were simply magnificent’.
Audrey Wilkinson were awarded the Iain Riggs Wine of Provenance Trophy for their 2017, 2014 and 2006 The Ridge Semillon. “The Provenance class was a highlight and to see the strength in the span of vintages was exciting. The class showed that Hunter Valley wines can be beautiful when they are young, in their mid-years and when they are older – and not all regions can do that’, commented Toni.
The Doug Seabrook Memorial Trophy for Best Red Wine of Show was awarded to Sweetwater Wines for their 2023 Shiraz, which also received the Len Evans Trophy for Best Single Vineyard Red and the Hector Tulloch Memorial Trophy for Best Shiraz. The De Iuliis Wines 2014 Talga Road Shiraz was awarded the John Lewis Trophy for Best Museum Red. Best One-Year-Old and Three-Year-Old Shiraz was awarded to Thomas Wines for their 2024 Sweetwater Ridge Shiraz and 2021 Kiss Shiraz.
Reflecting on the red wines on show, Edward remarked, “Hunter Valley Shiraz is truly a unique style with its range of darker fruits, spice and black pepper - they are predominantly medium bodied with a restrained use of new oak and lower alcohols. What excites me most is that winemakers want to express different styles, characteristic of their specific sites. The 2023 vintage is clearly very strong, but the experienced winemakers crafted some very compelling wines in the more challenging 2024 vintage too’.
Toni added: ‘The 2023 Shiraz was a highlight. These are a modern style of Shiraz that is very relevant for today’s market with fragrance, energy and some lovely intensity. It was an absolute treat to judge and there were some stunning wines in the mix’.
The 2025 Hunter Valley Winemaker of the year, Liz Silkman, of First Creek Wines and Silkman Wines, cemented her reputation as ‘Chardonnay Queen’ winning the George Wyndham Memorial Trophy for the Silkman Wines 2024 SILK Chardonnay and their 2023 Reserve Chardonnay taking the Murray Tyrrell Trophy for Best Chardonnay and Henry John Lindeman Memorial Trophy for the Best Two–Year-Old and Older Chardonnay. Toni commented that ‘Hunter Valley chardonnay is amongst the best in the country and people are really experimenting with their winemaking giving us a lot of different styles’.
Commenting on the breadth of quality on show, Edward commented that ‘What was notable was the alternate varieties for which the Hunter Valley is not necessarily renown, but the development of these varieties showed, with winemakers making fantastic wines which speaks to the pedigree of their skills’. Trophies were awarded for Best Rose to John Wallace Wines for their 2025 Tilba Rose, to Pepper Tree Wines for Best Verdelho for their 25 Limited Release "Home Block" Verdelho, to First Creek Wines for Best Other White Varietal for their 2025 Limited Release Vermentino, to Mercer Wines for Best Other Red Varietal for their 2024 Limited Release Shiraz Pinot Noir and to Glandore Wines for Best Sparkling for their 2022 Chloe Blanc de Blancs Chardonnay.
Gunpowder Wines was awarded the Lone Pine Barracks Officers Mess Silver Bullet for their 2024 Fiano.
2025 PKF Hunter Valley Wine Show Trophy Winners
Marshall - Flannery Trophy
Best Current – Semillon (Trophy Sponsor – Winequip)
Winner: Brokenwood Wines 2025 Oakey Creek Vineyard#2 Semillon
Karl Stockhausen Memorial Trophy
Best One-Year-Old Semillon (Trophy Sponsor – Hunter Wine Forum)
Winner: Bimbadgen 2024 Palmers Lane Single Vineyard Semillon
McGuigan Family Trophy
Best Two-Year–Old and older Semillon
Winner: Tinklers Wine 2017 Reserve Semillon
George Wyndham Memorial Trophy
Best Current and One-Year-Old Chardonnay (Trophy Sponsor – Laffort)
Winner: Silkman Wines 2024 SILK Chardonnay
Henry John Lindeman Memorial Trophy
Best Two–Year-Old and Older Chardonnay (Trophy Sponsor – Jurds Real Estate)
Winner: Silkman Wines 2023 Reserve Chardonnay
Graham Gregory Memorial Trophy
Best Other White Varietals and White Blends
Winner: First Creek Wines 2025 Limited Release Vermentino
J.Y. (Jay) Tulloch Trophy
Best Verdelho
Winner: Pepper Tree 2025 Limited Release ‘Home Block’ Verdelho
Elliott Family Trophy
Best Rose of Show
Winner: John Wallace Wines 2025 Tilba Rose
Maurice O’Shea Memorial Trophy
Best Other Red Varietals and Red Blends
Winner: Mercer Wines 2024 Limited Release Shiraz Pinot Noir
Alexander Munro Memorial Trophy
Best Current Vintage and One Year Old Shiraz (Trophy Sponsor – Singleton Hospitality Group)
Winner: Thomas Wines 2024 Sweetwater Ridge Shiraz
Stibbard- Hulin Trophy
Best Two-Year-Old Shiraz (Trophy Sponsor – Hahn Corporation)
Winner: Sweetwater Estate 2023 Shiraz
James Busby Memorial Trophy
Best Mature Three-Year-Old and Older Shiraz (Trophy Sponsor – Jenkins Legal Services)
Winner: Thomas Wines 2021 Kiss Shiraz
Lone Pine Barracks Officers Mess Silver Bullet
Winner: Gunpowder Wines 2024 Fiano
Drayton Family Trophy
Best Semillon
Winner: Tinklers Wine 2017 Reserve Semillon
Murray Tyrrell Chardonnay Trophy
Best Chardonnay (Trophy Sponsor – MCC- Premium Label Solutions)
Winner: Silkman Wines 2023 Reserve Chardonnay
Hector Tulloch Memorial Trophy
Best Shiraz
Winner: Sweetwater Estate 2023 Shiraz
Tyrrell Family Trophy
Best Museum White Wine (Trophy Sponsor – Riedel (RSN Australia))
Winner: Tyrrell’s 2006 Vat 1 Semillon
John Lewis Trophy
Best Museum Red Wine (Trophy Sponsor – Mercurey Australia)
Winner: De Iuliis Wines 2014 Talga Road Shiraz
Kaloudah Trophy
Best Table Wine from a Small Producer (Trophy Sponsor – Wine Tech Services)
Winner: Tinklers Wine 2017 Reserve Semillon
Len Evans Trophy
Best Single Vineyard White Wine (Trophy Sponsor – Insight Wealth Planning)
Winner: Colvin Wines 2013 Semillon
Len Evans Trophy
Best Single Vineyard Red Wine (Trophy Sponsor – Insight Wealth Planning)
Winner: Sweetwater Estate 2023 Shiraz
Iain Riggs Wine of Provenance (Provenance Sponsor – CCL)
Winner: Audrey Wilkinson The Ridge Semillon 2017, 2014, 2006
Petrie-Drinan Trophy
Best White Wine of the Show (Trophy Sponsor – PKF)
Winner: Tinklers Wines 2017 Reserve Semillon
Doug Seabrook Memorial Trophy
Best Red Wine of the Show (Trophy Sponsor – PKF)
Winner: Sweetwater Estate 2023 Shiraz
Alongside the Wine Trophies, three industry scholarships were presented. The 2025 Tyrrell Family Advanced Viticulture Scholarship was awarded to Nicholas Looby of Margan Wines, the Brokenwood Wines Advanced Wine Technology Scholarship to Giacomo Soldani of Margan Wines and the 2025 Alasdair Sutherland Scholarship to Brett Woodward of Saddler’s Creek Wines. "These scholarships are about supporting talent who will shape the Hunter Valley’s future," said Jennie Curran, CEO of the Hunter Valley Wine & Tourism Association. "They not only recognise talent, but also bring fresh thinking to our vineyard practices, our winemaking, and the next generation of wine show judges." said Jennie Curran, CEO of the Hunter Valley Wine & Tourism Association.
The 2025 Hunter Valley Wine Show Judges were:
Chair of Judges
Toni Paterson MW, Wine Writer
Panel Chairs
Sue Bell Winemaker, Bellwether Wines
Peter Leske Winemaker, La Linea + Revenir Winemaking
Rob Mack Winemaker, Aphelion Wine
International Judge
Dr Edward Ragg MW, International Wine Consultant
Visiting Judges
Natalie Cleghorn, Winemaker, Pinnacle Drinks
Nadja Wallington, Winemaker, ChaLou Wines
Hunter Judges
Kim Bickley, Sommelier / Wine Consultant
Xanthe Hatcher, Chief Winemaker, Agnew Wines
Annabel Holland, Winemaker, First Creek Wines
Hunter Associate Judges
Brendan Kaczorowski, Winemaker, Keith Tulloch Wine
Valentina Moresco, Winemaker, Krinklewood
Hayden Tinkler, Winemaker, Brokenwood
Michael Wells, Winemaker, Usher Tinkler Wines + Tinkler Wines
Visiting Associate Judges
Alex Jacques, Head Sommelier, Bennelong
Charlie Shaw, Beverage Manager, Icebergs Crown
Trainee Judges
Cordelia Jones, Agnew Wines
Harrison Medley, Gunpowder Wines + Horner Wines
To access imagery, please click here.
Image Credit: Hunter Valley Wine & Tourism Association and Elfes Images
