The Hunter Valley gets a new drawcard

He's one of the greatest characters in the Australian wine industry; a larger than life fellow who is quick with a quip and even quicker with a smile. 

But until now Andrew Thomas, maker of high-quality Hunter Valley semillons and shirazes, has never had a cellar door to all his own. 

That has changed after Thomas finally opened a dedicated cellar door in the Hunter Valley.

Thomas Wines has gained a near cult following for its wines without a place to call home. 

Now, ahead of his 30th consecutive Hunter Valley vintage, Thomas and his brand have a new facility in the heart of the Hunter on Hermitage Road.

Over the years Thomas Wines have gathered an impressive folio of local growers, who each own some of the Hunter Valley’s most distinguished sites, producing world class, uniquely regional styles. 

Kiss Shiraz (say it slowly and you'll get a sense of the Thomas humour) and Braemore Semillon sit at the top of an impressive range, many of which have become Hunter benchmarks. 

Now fans will be able to taste and purchase the full range of Thomas Wines direct from the source in the new cellar door; which is part of the Tuscany Wine Estate complex, on the corner of Hermitage Road and Mistletoe Lane, Pokolbin.

Thomas joked that he “can finally pull all his trophies out of the cupboard and have them on display”, but the real driver for his decision to open a cellar door after so many years of relying on wholesale trade and shared facilities, was “to provide a destination where we can have some actual face-to-face interaction with the people who are loving and drinking our wines. 

"This dedicated destination will provide an opportunity build on the relationships we have with our loyal customers, as well as introduce some new wine lovers to the Thomas Wines brand.”

The new facility is open seven days a week from 10am-5pm. 

Phone (02) 4998 7134. www.thomaswines.com.au