Two of the biggest awards in Australian wine
A Letter from Wendy
I'm super proud to share this with you.
This year, Saddler's Creek has been nominated in this year's Hunter Valley Legends Awards for Cellar Door of the Year for the 10th time. Brett is up for Winemaker of the Year for the 6th time. Sam has received his second nomination for Rising Star and is also currently nominated in the Top 50 Young Guns of Wine in Australia, one of the most prestigious recognitions in the industry.
Two of our team. Two of the biggest awards in Australian wine. The same week.
Brett, a finalist for Winemaker of the Year
Our head winemaker Brett Woodward is a finalist for Winemaker of the Year at the Hunter Valley Legends Awards. Top six. His sixth nomination. Up against some of the most respected winemakers in Australia.
If you have ever stood at our cellar door and tasted a Bluegrass that made you stop mid-sip and just look at the glass for a moment, that is Brett. The quiet precision. The years of getting it right. The kind of winemaker who does not chase the spotlight, the spotlight finds him.
Six nominations now. We feel it every time he walks through the cellar door.
Sam, Top 50 Young Guns of Wine and Rising Star nominee
Sam has been named in the Top 50 Young Guns of Wine in Australia. A national award. A nationally recognised honour for the next generation of Australian winemaking. Along with Rising Star in the Hunter Valley Legends Awards.
Sam is the next chapter. The one who came in eager and hungry to learn is now standing alongside Brett, shaping what comes next. Curious about trends, asking the best questions. How do we make better wine? What will stand the test of time?
Sam brings curiosity and a restless drive for experimentation. Together, Brett and Sam are shaping what I genuinely believe is the best era of winemaking we have ever had here. Every bottle we release is something we're proud to put our name on.
You can vote for Sam Rumpit right now. It takes about a minute, and it would mean the world to us.
Saddler's Creek, a finalist for Cellar Door of the Year
I am also thrilled to share that Saddler's Creek is a finalist for Cellar Door of the Year in the Hunter Valley Legends Awards. Our 10th nomination.
You don't show up on those lists ten times by accident. You show up because you have a team that cares deeply, improves every single day and never once settles for good enough when better is possible.
At the cellar door, Justin leads the team with warmth and real attention to the experience you have the moment you walk through our door. Alongside him are Scotty, Pauline, Levi, Liam, David, and our young star Charlotte. These are the people who greet you, pour for you, remember your name and make sure you leave feeling like family. They are, in so many ways, the face of everything we stand for.
In the kitchen, Chef Chiero's passion and dedication to creating incredible food is the other half of everything we offer here. He is brilliantly supported by Summer and Tahlia, two incredible young women who are coming into their own and bringing real energy to the Mangia Kitchen every service.
Behind the scenes, keeping the whole place running are Phil and Brayden in the warehouse and maintenance. The team you might not always see but who make everything possible. We see them. We're grateful for them.
Then there's our Club Equus Queens. Amelia pours her heart into every member experience and every event without fail. Alongside her is Cath, the concierge, who together make every member feel known, valued and genuinely looked after.
This team is why Saddler's Creek is what it is.
Already proud. Always proud.
The Hunter Valley Legends winners are announced next Thursday. I will keep you posted.
Whatever happens on the night, we already feel like winners. Because the team are why our wine is what it is. Brett, Sam, and every single person on our team show up every day with the same quiet determination to make Saddler's Creek something worth being proud of. The fact that the industry sees it too, well, it just makes our hearts a little fuller this week.
We show up, we're consistent, we improve one percent every single day. That's the only definition of a winning team that I have ever believed in.
Fingers crossed for the awards. But already proud. Always proud.
Join me in raising a glass to Brett and Sam, and to the whole team at Saddler's Creek.
Cheers,
Wendy x
