Winemaking

One particular vineyard, Tallavera Grove, has been providing fruit for trophy winning wines for some of the Hunter's most successful wineries for the past 10 years. Now, the pick of this vineyard is being marketed under the Tallavera Grove Hunter Valley label and made available to its own customers.

Made by our winemaker Luke Watson, Tallavera Grove produces a range of wines from selected parcels of fruit from not only the Hunter Valley, but also the areas best suited to particular varieties. This allows Tallavera Grove to provide the highest possible wine quality across our whole range of wines inclluding Chardonnay, Semillon, Verdelho, Shiraz and Cabernet.

Exciting new Italian varietals Vermentino, Sagrantino and Negra Amarro are currently being trialled and will be offered to our customers through our Cellar Door and Wine Club.

WINEMAKER: LUKE WATSON

A Hunter Valley boy through and through.

After completing his studies in 1999 and a trip through the wine growing regions of France and Germany, Luke commenced his first winery role at McWilliams Mount Pleasant in the Hunter Valley.

In 2001 Luke moved to Tulloch Wines to further develop his understanding of Hunter wines.

For the 2002 vintage Luke worked alongside Pepper Tree Wines Chief Winmaker - Jim Chatto at First Creek Wines. At First Creek Luke was able to further consolidate his Hunter knowledge as well as gain valuable experience working with fruit from cooler regions such as: Orange, Tumbarumba and Tasmania -experience that would become a great asset to Tallavera Grove Vineyard, with its vineyards in Orange, Coonawarra and Wrattonbully.

In 2002 Luke was appointed Assistant Winemaker at Pepper Tree Wines, responsible for the day to day running the winery under the guidance of Winemaker Janelle Zerk.

2007 saw Luke move into the very demanding dual role of Winemaker - Tallavera Grove, as well as retaining his role as Assistant Winemaker for Pepper Tree Wines!

Luke draws on his experience as well as great passion to create wonderful wines of complexity and finesse across the entire Tallavera Grove and Jokers Peak range.