Braemore Reviews & Articles

Betting on Braemore - Toni Paterson, Gourmet Traveller Wine
Becoming the custodian of the sacred Braemore Vineyard brings responsibility and the need to nurture this valuable resource for long-term viability. Toni Paterson MW, takes a deep dive into the Braemore Vineyard, it's history and Thommo's recent activity in the vineyard. Toni also reviews several vintages of Thomas Wines Braemore Semillon. You'll find the full story in the current issue of Gourmet Traveller Wine Magazine or via this link.

2020 Like a Version Braemore Semillon - The Real Review
For those that haven't tried Georgie Jacob's version of Braemore Semillon, The Real Review has ranked it #9/26 2020 Semillon from Australia, with 91/100 rating. Click here for the review.

Taste the Juice - Vintage 2022

A rare opportunity in Cellar Door with a stellar line up of Braemore Semillon available to taste. 

Book now via the website.

Freshly crushed Braemore Semillon juice, Braemore Semillon 2022 in the throes of fermentation, the very last of the 2021 Braemore Semillon, a look at the incredible transformation Semillon goes through obver time with a 2015 Cellar Reserve Braemore and our new kid on the block "Like a Version" 2020 Braemore Semillon made by Georgie Jacobs.

*Ferments & juices on offer may change dependant on availability.

The Perfect Escape

It's often hard to decide where to start when planning a visit to Wine Country, there's so many places to see, wines to sip, restaurants to dine in and gorgeous scenery to absorb.

So how do you make the most of your visit in our new world?

Whilst restaurants and Cellar Doors are now back to full capacity, Christmas is a busy time in the Valley. Most Cellar Doors have new offerings and experiences, and bookings are the best way to tick off the bucket list.

So what's the best approach?

Our local wine and tourism association website www.winecountry.com.au is a great place to start. It lists many of the businesses with their contact details and a includes a list of who is open/closed across this busy time.

Create a list of must-do's; include a few staples and add a few places that you haven't been before.

Think logistically, it can be quite a distance between venues, so allow travel time. A great approach is to carve the Valley up and target one "sub-region" or area per day. You might target the Lovedale area on day one, Around Hermitage on day two and Central Pokolbin on day three.

If you're looking to avoid the crowds, head to the roads less travelled, think Broke Fordwich, Mount View, Around Hermitage or Wollombi.

There's some great wine experiences on offer; cheese and wine pairing; vineyard walks, behind the scenes tours, picnic tastings or a deep dive into specific varietals. And then there's breweries, distilleries, local produce.....

Allow time to relax and enjoy yourselves, after all you're on holidays. So many people try to fit too much in, resulting in frustrations; missing out on their final booking (due delays along the way) and the ability to stop and take in a special view, or time to spot a kangaroo.

Restaurants - defintely book your restaurants. It's heart breaking seeing visitors in Cellar Door frustrated and hungry because they didn't book ahead. Restaurants, whether they have formal or casual offerings, are at a premium.Make sure you plan and book for all your meals.

What about the kids? Book some time at the Hunter Valley Zoo, Hunter Valley Gardens, Aqua Golf and to run and explore.

And your furry friends? Many of our Cellar Doors welcome your pets, you'll find pet friendly accomodation and lists on the wine country website.

If you love the Hunter Valley's signature varieties, or would like to learn more about them, add Thomas Wines to the list.

Thomas Wines offers 3 tasting experiences each focusing on the Hunter Valley's signature varieties of Semillon and Shiraz. Our tastings will leave you with an understanding of how Andrew Thomas can offer diversity within these two varieties.

THE DISCOVERY – discover the stylistic diversity within Semillon and Shiraz. Over 30-45 minutes, our team will take you on a discovery showcasing 4 Semillon and 4 Shiraz to include our everyday, seriously smashable wines, with a few premium single vineyard wines to finish.

THE EXPLORER - the new kid in our tasting line up. This tasting goes straight to the top shelf. You'll taste our 4 single vineyard Semillon looking at vineyard variation, and including our highly awarded 2015 Cellar Reserve Braemore Semillon. Then follow through with an exploration of 4 premium single vineyard Shiraz to include the iconic Kiss Shiraz.

THE JOURNEY - this is for those that really love, or want to take a deep dive into Hunter Valley Semillon and Shiraz. Our full list is at your disposal. Ask our team to tailor the tasting specifically to your needs or taste our full range. Take a Journey through our single vineyard wines with soil samples & maps to help you better understand the diversity the Hunter Valley offers.

Our seated tastings include tasting notes and a selection of riedel wine glassware. We take your tasting seriously, but promise it will be fun and relaxed.

To help us really spoil you, please book your tasting in advance; the team hate it when they have to turn people away when fully booked. We can't wait to show you why we think Hunter Valley Semillon and Shiraz are so special.

So what are you waiting for? Do all the hard (but fun) work now. Plan and book your visit before your holiday, then all you have to do when you get here is relax and enjoy.

Cellar Door Tastings

Thomas Wines 2021 Semillon Release - Zoom Session

Thank you to those that joined us last night via Zoom for our Member's Virtual Semillon Tasting. It was great fun, and awesome to see so many of you chatting, asking questions and offering feedback. A big thanks to Mike Bennie for joining us for the session.

As promised, we recorded the session for those that didn't make the zoom session (and those that wish to watch again), you'll find the link here. Feel free to share this with anyone interested.

You can watch the zoom tasting session here

 

Upcoming Events - sorry we have had to cancel our Upcoming events

CANCELLED :(

NEWCASTLE
Friday 13 August - Lunch at The Flotilla

TERRIGAL
Friday 27 August - Lunch at Yellowtail Resturant

SYDNEY
Saturday 28 August - tasting at Piermarq Gallery, Paddington
Wednesday 1st September - 2015 Cellar Reserve Braemore tasting and Dinner, Robin Hood Hotel, Waverley

A Distinguished Event

Don’t miss this rare and exciting opportunity to taste twelve outstanding vintages of Thomas Wines’ flagship Braemore Semillon or Kiss Shiraz at these unique winery masterclass and lunch experiences led by  winemaker, Andrew Thomas.

The events include an in depth look at Braemore Semillon or Kiss Shiraz, informal discussions around the wines with Thommo, a sumptuous tasting plate paired with the 12 wines, and an exquisite lunch in the winery afterwards by leading local Chef, Andy Wright. Places extremely limited, book early.

The Distinguished Dozen Braemore Semillon - Saturday 5 June, 2021
The Distinguished Dozen Kiss Shiraz - Saturday 19 June, 2021

Tickets $195pp  - inclusive of 12 vintages of Braemore Semillon or 12 vintages of Kiss Shiraz, tastting plate, lunch and lunch wines. Bookings here.

The best approach for the perfect Hunter Valley Getaway

It's often hard to decide where to start when planning a visit to Wine Country, there's so many places to see, wines to sip, restaurants to dine in and gorgeous scenery to absorb.

So how do you make the most of your visit in our new (COVID safe) world?

Whilst restaurants and Cellar Doors are now back to full capacity, Easter is a busy time in the Valley. Most Cellar Doors have new offerings and experiences, and bookings are the best way to tick off the bucket list.

So what's the best approach?

• Our local wine and tourism association website www.winecountry.com.au is a great place to start. It lists many of the businesses with their contact details and a summary of their offerings. 
• Create a list of must-do's; include a few staples and add a few places that you haven't been before
• Think logistically, it can be quite a distance between venues, so allow travel time. A great approach is to carve the Valley up and target one "sub-region" or area per day. You might target the Lovedale area on day one, Around Hermitage on day two and Central Pokolbin on day three.
• If you're looking to avoid the crowds, head to the roads less travelled, think Broke Fordwich, Mount View, Around Hermitage or Wollombi.
• There's some great wine experiences on offer; cheese and wine pairing; vineyard walks, behind the scenes tours, picnic tastings or a deep dive into specific varietals. And then theres breweries, distilleries, local produce.....
• Allow time to relax and enjoy yourselves, after all you're on holidays. So many people try to fit too much in in resulting in frustrations; missing out on their final booking (due delays along the way), the ability to stop and take in a specvial view or time to spot a kangaroo
• Restaurants - defintely book your restaurants. We have so many visitors in Cellar Door frustrated & hungry because they didn't book ahead
• What about the kids? Book some time at the Hunter Valley Zoo, Hunter Valley Gardens, Aqua Golf and to run and explore
• And your furry friends? Many of our Cellar Doors welcome your pets, you'll find pet friendly accomodation and lists on the wine country website

If you love the Hunter Valley's signature varieties, or would like to learn more about them, add Thomas Wines to the list. We've curated two seated experiences, one to give you an overview and one that takes a deep dive into individual vineyard wines. Book in advance and we;ll have your table ready and waiting for you on your arrival and we'll include a couple of back vinatge wines in your tasting.

So what are you waiting for? Do all the hard (but fun) work now. Plan and book your visit before your holiday, then all you have to do when you get here is relax and enjoy.

Cut Loose with Thommo

2020 a challenging year for everyone, to say the least. Now that things are on the improve we reckon it's time to cut loose, and what better excuse is there than to celebrate the release of another outstanding vintage of Hunter Valley Shiraz.

In true "Thommo style" Andrew Thomas will be showcasing a 'sneak preview' of the full range of his outstanding 2019 Shiraz. He's hitting the road in April for a Thomas Wines Club Member's tour, hosting dinners in Melbourne, Brisbane, and Sydney, and then the official release day lunch in Pokolbin on Saturday 1st May.

Whilst the Pokolbin Lunch and Mode Kitchen + Bar Dinner on 13 April is fully booked, we'd love you to join us in Brisbane, Melbourne or at the newly released Mode Kitchen + Bar Dinner on Monday 12th April.

With some restrictions still in place numbers are limited.

The Dinners and Lunch will include four courses, perfectly paired with the full suite of 2019 Shiraz (with a couple of extra wines thrown in for good measure.....)

Save the Date - our tour dates for the 2019 Shiraz Release Dinners

It's time to cut-loose & hit the road to release our range of 2019 Shiraz.
Whilst we are finalising the details we thought you might like to SAVE the date so that once we have the events live, you will have gathered your friends and will be ready to book to join us.

The Dinners will include a four courses, paired with the to be released 2019 range of Shiraz and will be hosted by Thommo.

Here's the line-up

• SYDNEY – Tuesday 13 April – Mode Kitchen and Bar
• BRISBANE – Wednesday 14 April - Walter’s Steakhouse
• SYDNEY – Wednesday 21 April – Pilu at Freshwater
• MELBOURNE – Thursday 22 April – Juliet Melbourne
• POKOLBIN – Saturday 1 May - Yellow Billy Restaurant

Tickets and full details will be available via the website in the near future.

After the past crazy 12 months we can't wait to cut-loose and catch up with everyone.