Hundreds of people swirled through the Crowne Plaza, wine glasses aloft, sampling the region’s finest drops for the Hunter Valley Wine Festival on Saturday.
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The biggest names in Hunter wine – from Tyrell to Tamburlaine – poured thousands of glasses to people from across the state.
But there were a fair few underdogs spruiking right alongside the giants – proof that the Hunter has plenty more opportunity to yield.
Among them was Moorebank, a family owned and operated vineyard celebrating 30 years.
“We’re called Moorebank because of the name Moore, of course, but my parents borrowed the money from a bank to start the business,” Summar Burgess-Moore said.
“There’s wines named after all us kids – the Summar Semillon, the Charlton Chardonnay, the Truman Late Harvest and the Son Sparkling.
“But the Black Sheep Shiraz has been really popular.
“It’s named after Sheila, our family’s black merino.
“My parents just ran out of kids to name the wines after.”