Oakvale Wines was established by the Elliott family in 1893 and is one of the oldest working wineries in the Hunter Valley. For three-quarters of a century Oakvale was in the ownership of the founding Elliot family, whose original slab hut homestead is now a museum.
In 2010 it was purchased by the Becker family, experienced grapegrowers and owners of the famed Stevens Vineyard and is one of the must see destinations in the Hunter, with vineyards now totalling almost 30ha. The Becker family have been Hunter Valley grape growers for almost 20 years. Since acquiring the historic Oakvale winery in 2010, they have completely upgraded it to the highest standards and, under the direction of winemaker James Becker, it is home to a range of truly handcrafted wines sourced from both cool climate vineyard regions and the family’s historic Pokolbin vineyards. Oakvale’s ethos and product range, together with superb infrastructure, give it a powerful appeal to today’s wine consumer.
The Hunter Valley’s historic Oakvale Wines has challenged tradition, using concrete amphorae for the fermentation and maturation of their first 2012 Oakvale Hunter Valley ‘L’Oeuf’ Semillon.
The Oakvale ‘L’Oeuf’ Semillon was fermented and matured in the winery’s new concrete Numblot Egg Fermenters. Whilst concrete amphorae date back to the Roman era, the use of them in modern winemaking is a relatively new direction.
“We have conducted a lot of wine trials over the past couple of years, the concrete amphora Semillon is one of these. We are finding that the concrete is a lovely balance between oak and stainless steel.”
“The egg shape tends to help produce a gentle fermentation. This, combined with the porous nature of the concrete, is producing wines with more palate weight, texture and fruit intensity.” James Becker, Oakvale winemaker
The 2012 Oakvale ‘L’Oeuf’ Semillon was made from grapes grown on the historic Ablington Vineyard (nee Stevens Vineyard). After a wet and difficult season, the Semillon was hand picked by Oakvale’s family and friends on a hot Sunday morning prior to rain.
The fruit was pressed straight to the new Numblot concrete egg and matured for 12 months. Although frequently topped, the wine received no yeast, acid, enzymes, fining or filtering, with only a small amount of SO2 prior to bottling.
“We are not consciously making and marketing ‘amber’ or natural wines however the use of the Numblot Egg along with minimal winemaking intervention was a trial that we were keen to do purely from a quality aspect.”
“We are very happy with the result and, although we only made around 800 bottles this year, it is something that will become an important component of our winemaking in future years.”
Oakvale Wines
Address 1596 Broke Road, Pokolbin NSW 2320
Telephone 02 4998 7088
Open Daily 10am to 5pm
Vist Oakvale Wine Online
