Lindeman’s to push Hunter connections

Australian company Lindeman’s is to focus on wines from the Hunter Valley as part of a drive to push the more premium, regional wines in its portfolio.

Speaking to the drinks business, chief winemaker Wayne Falkenberg explained that the Hunter Valley was the “birthplace” of Lindeman’s, hence the reason for pushing the region.

“Since it’s been our home we really want to bring it back into the portfolio,” he said.

“At bin level we’re still a major player in quality but regionally we’ve lost a little ground so we’re bringing back regional wines.”

He continued that Lindeman’s sources fruit from both the Upper and Lower Hunter and he saw it as a real alternative to other dry whites on the market.

“It’s a really underrated Australian white variety,” he said, “we want to bring it back to consumers. Chardonnay is still the most popular variety, certainly the most widely planted, but it is declining a little and people want something else.

“Many companies have modified their Chardonnays to suit changing palates but if they are looking elsewhere there’s Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio – or Hunter Semillon.”

Alongside a Semillon, Lindeman’s will also produce a Shiraz though both will be in very small quantities to begin with – less than 2,000 cases each.

Furthermore, Falkenberg said that he was keen to get more bottle-aged Hunter wines back on the market – a style with which Lindeman’s used to “dominate” the tasting circuit.

“We also want to show how the wine ages. In the best years we’ll put down reserves for five to seven years. With cork there was a lot of wastage but with screw cap there’s not so much which makes it more viable.”