Andrew Thomas of Thomas Wines - Guardian of the Hunter Valley

Send us Fan MailThe Hunter Valley, some three hours’ drive north of Sydney, is the spiritual home of wine in Australia. It is where the first Australian vineyards were planted. With a relatively warm climate, mitigated somewhat by humidity and some maritime influence, it boasts world class and unique expressions of many varietals particularly Chardonnay, Shiraz and Semillon. Andrew Thomas is a guardian of the Hunter Valley. Interestingly he was born in the McLaren Vale, but an opportunity to work at the renowned Tyrrells Winery caused Andrew to leave South Australia and move to the Hunter. Andrew may have had intentions of someday returning to South Australia, however the longer he spent in the Hunter Valley, the more he fell for its magic. He soon realised that his future lay in the Hunter Valley, and he has dedicated himself to harnessing the Hunter’s potential and expressing it as liquid brilliance in a bottle. Andrew lives and breathes the Hunter. From the strength of his relationship with local growers to his intimate understanding of and focus on Hunter shiraz and Semillon, Andrew strongly believes that the Hunter possesses a magic that gives an unrivalled expression of class and elegance – in short, the finer things. Andrew recently joined me to share his story, from the young wine maker who graduated from Roseworthy and took a job Tyrells, to becoming creating a label that is synonymous with Hunter Valley excellence. A massive thanks to Andrew for joining me. Support the show