Chairman of the Hunter Valley Wine and Tourism Association (HVWTA), The Hon George Souris gave special recognition to the high calibre of this year’s nominees and that the annual awards are a celebration of, and give recognition to the skill, hard work, dedication and excellence of the region’s winemakers, viticulturists and industry professionals, and reflects on the successes of the year that has passed.

And the Winners are……
•2016 Hunter Valley Wine Industry Living Legend - Alain Le Prince
•2016 Winemaker of the Year sponsored by First Creek Winemaking Services – Liz Jackson, First Creek Wines
•2016 Rising Star of the Year sponsored by Riedel – Belinda Paterson, General Manager, The Sebel Kirkton Park Hunter Valley
•2016 Viticulturist of the Year sponsored by Laffort Australia – Paul Harvey, Mount Pleasant Wines
•2016 Cellar Door of the Year sponsored by CBA Local Business Banking – De Iuliis Wines

In addition to the 2016 Hunter Valley Legends Awards a new initiative was introduced. In early 2016 the HVWTA Committee decided to engage with the Design School at Newcastle University to run a competition amongst the students to create the packaging design for the annual Legends wines which are produced by local Hunter Valley winemakers. The winner Daniel Smith was announced at the luncheon and he received $300 for his excellent portrayal of the history, quality and culture of the Hunter Valley Wine Industry. The wines will be marketed and sold exclusively through Wine Selectors.

Further Details information and high res images please contact Jo Thomas – General Manager, Hunter Valley Wine & Tourism Association on 0408 274 755 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..