Winery of the Year’s secret to world-class Hunter Valley wine | Stuart Hordern of Brokenwood

About this episode

Stuart Hordern discusses the history and philosophy of Brokenwood Wines and the nuances of Australian winemaking.

What makes a truly iconic Australian wine? In this episode of the Halliday Wine Companion Podcast, Anna Webster sits down with Brokenwood Chief Winemaker Stuart Hordern to explore the history, philosophy and future of one of Australia’s most celebrated wineries. From growing up on a small Hunter Valley vineyard to becoming only the second chief winemaker in Brokenwood’s history, Stuart shares the lessons learned from legends like Iain Riggs and PJ Charteris, the pressure and privilege of making the Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz, and why Hunter Valley semillon remains one of Australia’s greatest gifts to the wine world. The conversation dives deep into vineyard expression, wine evolution, vintage variation, cellar ageing, the realities of modern winemaking, and why Brokenwood sources fruit from some of Australia’s best wine regions including Beechworth, McLaren Vale and Orange. You’ll also hear the remarkable story behind Brokenwood’s Halliday Winery of the Year win, the evolution of the Oakey Creek vineyard, and why some of Australia’s greatest wines are defined not by power, but by finesse. Whether you're a wine lover, collector, sommelier…

People in this episode

Host: Anna Webster

Guest: Stuart Hordern

Topics covered

• Australian wine
• winemaking
• vineyard expression
• wine evolution
• Hunter Valley
• Brokenwood Wines

Keywords

• Brokenwood
• Hunter Valley
• semillon
• Shiraz
• winemaking
• vintage variation
• cellar ageing
• wine regions

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Brokenwood, Halliday Wine Companion

Books & works: Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz

Places: Hunter Valley, Beechworth, McLaren Vale, Orange

More episodes of Halliday Wine Companion

• The ambitious winery hidden 35 minutes from Melbourne CBD · May 19, 2026 · 46 min
• Why Australian wine must change now | Louisa Rose of Yalumba · May 5, 2026 · 56 min
• The King of Chardonnay: Tony Bish on reinvention, innovation and obsession · April 21, 2026 · 1h 6m
• Bushfire recovery & rebuilding with Matt Fowles of Fowles Wine · April 7, 2026 · 44 min
• How Melbourne’s best wine bars are built | Lyndon Kubis (Toorak Cellars, Milton Wine Shop, The Alps, Clover) · March 24, 2026 · 42 min
• Gentle Folk’s Gareth Belton on seaweed, science, and sauvignon blanc · March 10, 2026 · 58 min