David Hook Wines is a family-owned-and-operated winery located in the famous Hunter Valley wine region. Situated at Belford in the heart of the lower Hunter vineyard region, the property was principally a cattle farm until the vineyard established in 1981.
“When I planted the Pothana vineyard in the early 1980’s, I selected sites on the family grazing property that I believed would provide consistent quality and individual style, character and integrity,” explains David Hook, owner and winemaker. “The accumulated knowledge and experience gained over time has resulted in wines with outstanding regional and varietal characters that reflect their place of origin and the vintage.”
The Pothana vineyard is planted on the Belford Dome which is an ancient geological formation that provides two distinctive soil types. Deep, well-drained sandy loams run along the creek flats and the nearby slopes are moulded from red clay soils over weathered limestone. The sandy loam soils are ideal for Semillon and Chardonnay, while Shiraz thrives on the clay soil. These low yielding vineyards are hand-picked and traditionally vinified to produce unique regional wines, which are only released in the best vintage years.
David uses a combination of traditional and modern grape growing and winemaking techniques to produce premium varietal wines including Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Semillon, Shiraz and Barbera and sources premium fruit from other regions including Mudgee and Central Ranges.