Dan Repacholi (Hunter, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

If you want to know what makes the Hunter so special, you definitely don't start with a brochure. You start with a glass of the world's finest. Back home, we've always known the Hunter makes the best wine in the world, and the trophies are proving it again.

At the 2026 National Wine Show of Australia, De Bortoli wines won the Sweet White Trophy with its 2022 Noble One. Tyrrell's Vineyards won the semillon trophy with its 2017 Vat 1 Semillon. To the people of the Hunter, the last result feels about right. Semillon is not just something we make; it is part of our story.

What we love and what I love about the Hunter is that these wines don't happen by accident. They come from generations of families working on this land, who get up before sunrise, who watch the weather like a hawk, and who put their heart and soul into every single vintage. These awards are not just a win for a winery; they are a win for our whole community.

This year at the Hunter Valley Legends Awards, John Hordern and Brett Keeping were named Hunter Valley Wine Industry Living Legends, and Greg West was named Hunter Valley Tourism Industry Living Legend. These are people who have put the hard yards in for decades. They've grown the grapes. They've made the wine. They've opened the doors for visitors and backed the region when it really mattered.

John built Horseshoe Vineyard and helped establish Hunter Wine Services. Brett helped drive vineyard expansion right across the Upper Hunter and stood up for this amazing industry. Greg spent decades promoting the Hunter through wineries, cellar door and development and tourism events.

And the good news is the next crew is carrying on in this style as well. Stuart Hordern from Brokenwood Wines was named Winemaker of the Year. Jerome Scarborough and Liz Riley from Scarborough Wine Co. were named Viticulturalists of the Year. Ollie Margan from Margan Family Wines was named Young Achiever of the Year. Wine Fairy Events was named Tourism Operator of the Year. Rydges Resort Hunter Valley won the Accommodation Operator of the Year for the second year in a row. And Tommo and his team at Thomas Wines were also named Cellar Door of the Year.

I want to congratulate every single one of you—John Hordern, Brett Keeping, Greg West, Stuart Hordern, Jerome Scarborough, Liz Riley, Ollie Margan, the team at Wine Fairy Events, Rydges Resort Hunter Valley, Thomas Wines and, of course, De Bortoli and Tyrrell's—for those national wins. wins. This is what the Hunter does. We work hard, we keep it real, and we produce something that is world class. To all the growers, to all the winemakers, to the cellar door staff, to the tourism operators, to the families behind these wines: we say thank you.

And you know who else we say thank you to? We say thank you to the people buying these wines, giving this employment out there and getting in that little sip in of the Hunter's best and the world's best wines. Thank you for what you do. You make our region proud. Cheers!