Woodward's Wines

The story of Woodward's is fascinating, and seems unreal until you learn that winemaker Brett Woodward's day job is as winemaker at Saddlers Creek. The business is owned by his parents, father Graham jumping from the corporate world of Sydney to the Hunter Valley to run a farm, and establish the vineyard in 1973. When water became available through a major pipeline, he designed and installed the first computerised irrigation system in the Hunter Valley. Woodward's remained a grape seller to the likes of Mount Pleasant and Capercaillie, and, when not in the vineyard, Graham worked at Hungerford Hill, Rothbury Estate, Bimbadgen Estate and Mount Pleasant for over 20 years. His younger son Brett, who first of all did the hard yards of on-ground training at Bimbadgen and Brokenwood, obtained a Masters of Oenology from Adelaide University. To say that wine marketing has been desultory is putting it mildly, given that the 2007 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is (apparently) still available after winning trophies at the Hunter Valley Boutique Winemakers Show in '08, '09 and '14 for Best Cabernet, and with a total make of only 50 dozen. -JAMES HALLIDAY