I have been amazed by the incredible slopes of the Mosel and Douro Valleys, the hilly nature of Campania, the alluvial flatness of Bordeaux and the remote plains of Coonawarra.

Their soils have fascinated me even more; Coonawarra's thin strip of red soil, Campania's volcanic rich loams and the rocky, soilless nature of Germany and Portugal.

Then there are their climates; all cool but with moderating influences such as rivers and oceans.

Aspect, soil and climate - the three factors that, experts say, come together to create the unique magic called Terroir. BTW, Aussies, my English wife points out regularly that it is "tehr-wahr", not "terror-aargh-wah".

At Huntington Estate, we have our own unique terroir situated on the lower slope of Mount Buckaroo with gravelly loam soils over aged clays, and a climate moderated by altitude.

To be more specific, the vines sit at the shoulder of Mount Buckaroo, which in turn is on the western edge of the Great Dividing Range. If we were any further up the slope the soil would be too lean, any lower and the soil would be too fertile. As if to remind me of how perfect and magical our terroir is, Mount Buckaroo lights up orange and purple on sunset every day.

But there is a completely overlooked fourth ingredient to these terroirs – the people. In all of these regions I have met, and enjoyed great meals and wine, with the most creative and interesting people.

Their diligence, hard work and longevity shows through in their wrinkled faces, shaped by years of working the elements through lifetimes of rugged and rewarding work. Invariably they are all happy, positive and sharing, even though none are wealthy.

Nowhere have I found this to be so more than in Mudgee. Allow me to illustrate with some quirky examples of people I have enjoyed great wines with - all names have been redacted!

First we have the winemaker who lost a leg in a racy motorcycle accident. This fellow always looked on the bright side – he would take off his wooden leg and use it as shovel to empty fermenters. There is the winemaker who was born in New Guinea, farmed in the Queensland outback, and lawyered in Sydney. Another gave up a career in the high pressure world of Chicago commodities trading – he never did lose his boisterous American accent which, strangely, kind of fitted the Mudgee vibe.

Mudgee’s ingenuity has created many Australian firsts including: the first organic vineyard, the first winery to plant Chardonnay in Australia, the first to use Merlot on a label and the first known Indigenous winemaker. 

Featured among our winemaking ranks have been former scientists, architects, journalists, firefighters, doctors, Logie winners and jackaroos.

All of this is, I would argue, as important an ingredient in every bottle of Mudgee wine as the elements we toil among every day. There is no doubt, after more than 175 years of making wine, that Mudgee truly has a unique, proven and amazing terroir that is only enhanced by its human provenance. 

Come and visit, and meet some of our weird and wonderful characters. The good news is that unlike most wine regions that are commercial and corporatised, here in Mudgee you'll find us in the cellar door, wandering around with a hose or pair of pruning shears in hand, ready to share our love of this land, growing grapes and making wine.

Cheers, Tim