2026 – An Absolute Stellar Vintage
The 2026 Hunter Valley Vintage opened at Mount Pleasant, where 80 local wine industry members joined Wonnarua Elder, Warren Taggart for a Smoking Ceremony - deeply rooted in 60,000 years of indigenous culture. As the first wine region in Australia to adopt the practice, sacred ancient symbols were used to bless the vintage with smouldering eucalyptus leaves for spiritual cleansing, energy and prosperity.
When asked about the 2026 vintage, Liz Riley, one of Australia’s most respected and awarded Viticulturists stated, “the Hunter Valley is the pick across NSW wine regions”. According to Riley, it was a season of no compromises. “After a wet winter we had a dry spring but a bit of rain across summer kept things fresh and the vineyards just thrived, setting us up beautifully. The fruit looked amazing and we had control to pick when we wanted,” she said.
Riley mused, “we have a plan every year, but we rarely get to stick to it - so 2026 vintage was truly sunshine and rainbows.”
Liz Silkman three times and current Hunter Valley Winemaker of the Year agreed commenting, “things looked really lovely early on with beautiful flavours and good acids. This year was about holding your nerve - without any disease or weather pressure, we had the luxury of waiting for the fruit to ripen and achieve beautiful balance”.
When asked about how the different varieties fared, Silkman (also known as the Chardonnay Queen) commented, “I’m excited about chardonnay and can’t wait to see how it evolves”.
Silkman also said, “the semillons show elegance, finesse and impeccable purity. They are citrus driven and the top wines will have excellent aging potential. The reds also look amazing, with colours off the charts. This year everything was shining and our job was to not stuff it up”.
Silkman says that consumers can expect some special wines showing the best of the Hunter’s classic characters whilst Riley concluded, “it’s a great vintage and reminds me of the stellar 2014, maybe even better!”.
Cathy Gadd has been freelance wine writer for consumer and trade publications for over a decade. She can be contacted on