'Believe the hype': Hunter Valley winemakers rave about the 2026 vintage

Hunter Valley winemakers are on the same page when it comes to vintage 2026: it's a good one.

"Superb", "outstanding", "excited" and "fabulous" are among the words used to describe a vintage that started and finished early, and surprised them all with its quality.

Here's what some of the Valley's biggest names in wine had to say.

"The balance of acidity, flavour, and concentration across both white and red varieties is the best we've seen in years," Mr De Iuliis said.

"If the promise shown in the tanks and barrels holds true, 2026 is shaping up to be a vintage well worth making room for in the cellar.

"After several challenging years for the wine industry, it's a pleasure to share some genuinely good news, and to feel a renewed sense of optimism rippling through the region."

"It's been busy! I think we've had one of the most successful vintages that I've seen in the Hunter since I started working at Krinklewood in 2017," Ms Moresco said.

Mr de Iuliis

"2018 and 2019 were really hot and dry - they were really good vintages but had low yields. This year was great; great quantity, really good quality, pretty much dry the whole time, a bit of rain just when we needed it.

"It was a bit of a bumper crop for semillon; the quality was pristine, and the flavours were just beautiful. Lime, lemon, citrus, just what you want for a Hunter Valley semillon.

"There were lower numbers for the chardonnay but the flavours are just unbelievable, and we got enough shiraz this year - we actually missed out in 2023 and 2025.

"For Mount Pleasant it has been a superb vintage," Mr Sparks said.

"We had a nervous start with some intense rains forecast after a perfect growing season, however, they never eventuated and we managed to pick everything with perfect timing.

"For me, 2025 and 2026 are very similar with white wines, both intense flavours and great acid lines; wines which will last like the great vintages. However, the 2026 red vintage for us has been outstanding. Perfect conditions, warm with great ripening conditions resulting in wines with great colour, tannins and flavours.

Hunter Valley

"I would put this alongside 2014, 2018 and 2024 as outstanding warm vintages for Mount Pleasant."

"With vintage now pretty much wrapped up, we are all pretty excited about the quality from this year," Mr Thomas said.

"The sum of a few perfect weather conditions worked in our favour this season:

"We've seen reasonably generous crops again in the whites, and variable but generally slightly lower than average yields in the reds.

"From my own (Thomas Wines) perspective, the semillons have aromatic citrus fruit with outstanding purity and precision and a juicy, succulent acidity. All the shiraz have stunning depth of colour, with vibrant blue and black fruits, and are certainly in the fuller end of the medium-bodied spectrum.

"We're pretty darn happy with V26! For us, V26 was short, sharp and fabulous," Ms Little said.

Mr Thomas

"Our core varieties: pecorino, albarino, vermentino, tempranillo and barbera were all picked within 15 days of each other, which is pretty unheard of for us.

"Early January, things were racing along and we were headed for our earliest start on record, but then January 11 it started raining - we had a few nervous days wondering if it was going to settle in, but in the end it was a godsend. The rain slowed everything down and gave the reds a much-needed drink. A week later the sun came out and off we went!

"The whites - albarino, pecorino and vermentino - came in with pristine, precise flavours, and what we're noticing is a really lovely acid profile. Barbera came in with near perfect figures and gorgeous dark fruit characters. Tempranillo is a fruit bomb of Cherry Ripe and strawberry jam, and with a bumper crop, there's plenty of it.

"We call this one a 'ladies' vintage it started early (January 8!) was very staged, organised and super-high quality," Ms Silkman said.

"The whites are lovely, fruit forward, and so well balanced. The reds have amazing colour and beautiful balance. It's fabulous to have a vintage where we are both proud and excited about both whites and reds, not just one or the other."

"Hot, fast and focused. A blink-and-you-miss-it season that delivered wines destined for all-time great status."

January

"Here in Broke Fordwich we have had an outstanding vintage in 2026," Mr Margan said.

"An early start, picking red grapes in January, and an early finish have provided unusual conditions for the vintage, and for whatever reason, these conditions have provided us with ripe grapes full of flavour and great colour and tannin in the reds.

"Natural chemistry is also excellent and crop levels were all at a reasonable level. The flavour intensity of the whites will allow for early drinking and longevity, and that is always a sign of a great year, while the reds are going to take some time in the barrel to soften as their tannin structures are quite robust for the Hunter Valley."

"2026 is an outstanding Hunter vintage for everything. A warm and dry spring and summer has led to beautifully ripe fruit across all varieties," Mr Currie said.

"Whites had good yields and wines are rich and ripe, with great intensity.

"Yields were lower for reds but that has resulted in more concentrated fruit and flavour. shiraz is excellent and the small amounts of other varieties we grow, like cabernet sauvignon, mataro and touriga, are also fantastic.

The balance of acidity, flavour, and concentration across both white and red varieties is the best we've seen in years.

Putting it in context

What ends up in the glass is only half the story. Packaging, pricing and placement decide how far a drink actually travels.

Key takeaways

• Hunter Valley winemakers are on the same page when it comes to vintage 2026: it's a good one
• "Superb", "outstanding", "excited" and "fabulous" are among the words used to describe a vintage that started and finished early, and surprised them all with its quality
• "The balance of acidity, flavour, and concentration across both white and red varieties is the best we've seen in years," Mr De Iuliis said
• "If the promise shown in the tanks and barrels holds true, 2026 is shaping up to be a vintage well worth making room for in the cellar
• "2018 and 2019 were really hot and dry - they were really good vintages but had low yields

By the numbers

• I think we've had one of the most successful vintages that I've seen in the Hunter since I started working at Krinklewood in 2017," Ms Moresco said
• "There were lower numbers for the chardonnay but the flavours are just unbelievable, and we got enough shiraz this year - we actually missed out in 2023 and 2025
• "For me, 2025 and 2026 are very similar with white wines, both intense flavours and great acid lines; wines which will last like the great vintages
• The 2026 red vintage for us has been outstanding
• "I would put this alongside 2014, 2018 and 2024 as outstanding warm vintages for Mount Pleasant."

The bottom line

None of this settles the wider question. It does make one thing harder to ignore: the pressure on the drinks list has shifted, and others will have to respond to it.