1979 – 1983 Tyrrell’s Wines Australia
Employed as assistant winemaker 1979
Promoted to winemaker at Glenbawn Estate 1981
1982 – 1983 Glenbawn Estate Scone Australia
Vineyard Manager
1981 Wines California USA
Assistant winemaker for vintage
1984 – 1985 Lakes Folly Australia
Employed as assistant winemaker to Steven Lake
1987 – 1990 Rothbury Estate Australia
Employed as winemaker for vintage
1989 Pokolbin Estate Pokolbin Australia
Employed as General Manager for 12 months
1990 Chateau Bonnet France
Employed as consultant winemaker for vintage
1991 – 1995 Hugh Ryman Wines / Rystone Wines France, Spain
Employed as a consultant in areas of grape growing, purchasing, winemaking and production
1997 Vinfera Pty Ltd Broke Australia
Managing Director
1998 David Morrison Winemakers Georgia
Employed as a consultant winemaker for Telavi Winery
1986 – 2017 David Hook Wines – Pothana Vineyard Australia
Self employed on own property establishing 10 hectare vineyard and winery
1978 – 1979 Cellar hand, Tyrrells Pokolbin Australia for vintage
Crushing 500 – 700 tonnes
1980 Assistant winemaker, Tyrrells Pokolbin Australia
Crushing 700 tonnes
1981 Winemaker, Tyrrells, Glenbawn Estate, Scone Australia
Crushing 1200 tonnes
1981 Assistant winemaker, Friestone Winery California USA
Crushing 1200 tonnes
1982 – 1983 Vineyard Manager / Winery Manager, Tyrrells Glenbawn Estate Scone Australia
Growing 500 tonnes and processing 1200 tonnes
1984 Pothana Vineyard
Commenced vineyard
1984 – 1985 Assistant Winemaker, Lakes Folly Pokolbin Australia
Premium small Australian winery producing cabernet and chardonnay
1985 Pothana Vineyard
First vintage – 2 tonnes semillon. Established Pothana label
1986 Assistant winemaker for vintage Hungerford Hill Pokolbin Australia
Crushing over 1000 tonnes of both Hunter Valley and Coonawarra fruit
1987 Pothana Vineyard
First chardonnay wines produced
1985 – 1987 The Australian Wine Research Institute
Awarded scholarship to under take research into nitrogen levels of amino Australian grape juice and the metabolism acids by yeasts
1986 Australian Wine Industry Technical Conference
Presented paper titled “Amino Acid Metabolism by Yeasts”
1987 – 1990 Winemaker for vintage, Rothbury Estate Australia
Grape receival and processing
1990 Pothana Winery
First grapes processed. Contract winemaking of 25 tonnes of shiraz
1990 Winemaker at Chateau Bonnet Bordeaux France
1991 Winemaker at Cave du Casse Limoux Southern France
1992 Consultant Winemaker, Safeways UK
Production of 1000 tonnes of Luberon white
1994 Pothana Winery
Contract winemaking expanded to 50 tonnes. Specialising in small batches, 2 – 3 tonnes for individual growers.
1994 Sainsbury, UK in association with Val d Orbie in Southern France
Responsible for the selection of vineyards, wineries and supervision of production of 500,000 cases
1994 Sainsbury, UK in association with Cave St Pierre France
Responsible for the selection of vineyards, wineries and the supervision of production of 100,000 cases of Cote du Rhone Red
1995 Rystone Wines France
Responsible for the purchase of grapes for and supervision of production of 200,000 cases in the south of France
1995 Vineyard Consultant, Chateau Vignelaure Provence France
3 months planning and implementing renovation of 40 hectare vineyard
1996 Consultant Winemaker, Chateau Coussergues, Besier France
1996 Pothana
Expanded Vineyard. Established The Gorge label
1997 Established Vinifera Pty Ltd, Broke Australia
Leased Saxonvale Winery, 1500 tonnes production
1998 Telavi Georgia
Responsible for recommissioning winery in Telavi Georgia and production of 1200 tonnes for the 1998 vintage for export to Soviet Union and the USA
1998 – 2017 Pothana Vineyard / Winery
Increased capacity to 200 tonne production
Browse gourmet gifts for you or someone special.
To Book: Add this to your cart during the checkout process.
There is no minimum restriction to book so singles and couples can book tours, but there is a minimum number of people needed to run tours effectively.
We do our best to make sure every tour runs, which sometimes means shuffling minimum numbers together so tours can operate.
We need to group together at least 4 people (minimum number shown on each tour) for it to operate.
Yes. A day tour with your friends enjoying drinks and tasty food is one of the most enjoyable but hassle free ways to celebrate a birthday. We take care of the details and let us know if you would like something extra special too!
Each tour vehicle contains passengers from multiple bookings until it is filled to the ‘maximum guest limit’ (shown on each tour). This limit keeps our group small so it’s fast and fun with premium access.
A tour will operate when a minimum of four seats are booked. If there are only four seats booked, great you will have the tour all to yourselves in one of our smaller vehicles. The more a tour fills up, the bigger the vehicle we use until our maximum guest limit for that tour is reached.
If you would like a completely private tour for two, or, have a larger group than the ‘maximum guest limit’ please contact us for options.
We can cater to larger groups by combining multiple vehicles for any tour.
Discover up to 3 great wineries handpicked for you.
There is no set time. Some winery experiences take longer than others. The average is about 45min – 1hour at each winery.
Because we know the area so well and try to deliver the best experiences based on:
– Rave reviews from previous tour groups
– Boutique, non-touristy locations
– Excellent wines, moderately priced
– Warm & friendly service
– Perks available (cellar tours, barrel-tasting, wine-maker available, etc.)
There is no set schedule of wineries. Our tour guides will take advantage of the best winery experiences available on that day, including special events, to make sure you get the most value from your itinerary, have an enjoyable day and maximise your taste time of the Hunter Valley.
