Fortunes turn after nightmare year for Hunter Valley winemakers

After seeing off drought, bushfires, torrential rain and a pandemic, bottling this year’s vintage will be especially satisfying for Hunter Valley vigneron Linda Keeping.

Twelve months on from the Black Summer fires, the smoke has cleared and lush green pastures envelope Ms Keeping’s picturesque Two Rivers vineyard near Denman.

“After 2020 it’s just such a joy to be looking over the vineyard on this glorious morning, picking some shiraz fruit that is in optimum condition,” she said.

The challenges have been felt up and down the Hunter Valley, including on Bruce Tyrell’s farm near Pokolbin.

“This time last year we weren’t doing very…