Honouring Country: Latitude 32’s Wonnarua Collaboration
Innovation in the Hunter Valley has long been defined by its ability to balance tradition with progressive thinking. Latitude 32 Wines newly launched Wonnarua Range, is a deeply considered collaboration between contemporary winemaking and the world’s oldest continuous culture.
Created in partnership with the Wonnarua People, the Traditional Custodians of the land on which the Latitude 32 Pokolbin winery stands, the range redefines provenance. Rather than focusing solely on vineyard age, clone selection or winemaking technique, Latitude 32 shifts the narrative further back — to the story of the land itself.
Latitude 32 founder Emma White has always believed wine begins long before harvest. “The land we farm today was shaped by the Wonnarua People, long before vines were ever planted. Their care, knowledge and connection to Country is the real beginning of every bottle we make”. This philosophy is not symbolic with ten percent of profits from every bottle sold, donated directly to the local Aboriginal Land Council, supporting cultural, environmental and community-led initiatives.
At the heart of the project is a collaboration between White and local Wonnarua artist Brooklyn Burgess. Burgess’ artwork appears on each label, visually interpreting pathways, watercourses, landforms and cultural connections that predate viticulture. Her voice continues on the back label, embedding storytelling into the wine itself.
The partnership range launches with a Pinot Noir and Chardonnay sourced from Latitude 32’s 46-year-old Duck Hollow Vineyard.
White describes the project as a shift from “grape to glass” to “soil to story.” It’s an approach that aligns with growing consumer interest in ethical sourcing and deeper transparency around where wines come from, and what they stand for.
As the Hunter Valley continues to innovate, the Latitude 32 Wonnarua Range demonstrates how modern wine businesses can honour tradition, build community and create wines, that resonate well beyond the glass.
https://latitude32wines.com/product-category/wonnarua-series/
Cathy Gadd has been freelance wine writer for consumer and trade publications for over a decade. She can be contacted on