Here's what we're pouring this winter season, to warm up by the fire and sip alongside cozy winter meals.
The winter solstice has come and gone, and up here on the mountain we can feel it.
On the New England Tablelands, our nights stretch long, the frost arrives early, and sometimes we even get a dusting of snow. It’s the kind of cold that does wonderful things to a glass of red, and the kind of cold that pulls everyone a little closer to the fire.
Half the joy of a cold-weather wine weekend is the slowing down. Our corner of the Northern Tablelands is built for exactly that: frosty mornings, log fires and the kind of stillness you only find when you get off the beaten track.
As the days shorten, our minds turn, happily, to winter warmers: the wines we want in our hands when the valley goes quiet and the fire gets going. Here’s what we’re pouring this season, where to drink it, and how to make a New England winter escape.
Wines by the fireplace at our cellar door
If there’s a better place to taste cool-climate wine than beside a crackling fire with the Macintyre Valley spread out below you, we haven’t found it. Our cellar door isn’t polished or pretentious — no manicured hedges, no big brass signs. It’s rustic, it’s honest, and in winter it’s one of the cosiest spots in the New England wine region.
Pull up a chair by the fire, order a tasting flight with a board of local charcuterie, and let us walk you through our rare alternative varieties at your own pace. On a still afternoon you’ll watch the light change over the State Forest that wraps around us; on a wild one, you might catch a storm rolling in across the ranges while you stay warm inside. Either way, it’s the sort of slow, unhurried afternoon that winter calls for.
For the curious, we love opening up a vertical tasting from our museum stock. It’s a chance to taste how a single block of our volcanic, iron-rich soil expresses itself across the years, with some wines reaching back to our earliest vintages. It’s the most direct way we know to show why this high-altitude patch of country grows wine worth driving for.
If you’re planning a wine tasting near Tamworth, Armidale, Inverell or Guyra this winter, we’d love to see you. Tastings are booked ahead through our website so we can give you our full attention and keep that fire stoked.
The wines we reach for when it’s cold
We’ve always believed in planting what truly belongs here rather than chasing the usual suspects. As it turns out, the Italian, Spanish and Portuguese varieties that thrive on our high-altitude site happen to be exactly the wines you want on a winter table.
Nebbiolo is our north star, and we’ll happily argue it’s one of the great red grapes of the world. Ours is pale in the glass with dark and sour cherry, dried rose, liquorice and a thread of earthy spice, all held up by bright acidity and that firm, savoury grip nebbiolo is famous for. It’s a thinker’s red, perfect for a long winter evening and for the kind of slow, rich cooking the season invites.
For something more generous and welcoming, our Seeker Tempranillo always hits the spot.
And our Portuguese blend of Touriga Nacional and Tinta Cao ‘Touriga & Tintas’, rounds out the line-up with warmth and depth without ever tipping into heaviness, thanks to the freshness our elevation gives us. Supple and savoury, the natural partner to anything roasted.
Not everything by the fire has to be red, either. Our aromatic Gewürztraminer is a quiet winter hero. Lychee, rose and gentle spice that comes alive next to any fragrant. Beside the fire, on the vineyard we like to match this with a cheese board when the afternoon drifts on.
Wines to pour alongside warm winter meals
This is where our varieties truly earn their keep. Cool-climate wines with real structure and acidity are made for the food we crave once the temperature drops.
For slow-braised beef, osso buco or a rich ragù, reach for the Topper’s Mountain Finder Nebbiolo or Seeker Red Tempranillo. Their acidity cuts through the richness while the savoury, earthy notes echo everything in the pot. Game, venison and anything off the grill love the firm tannins of our Tannat and the spice of our Shiraz. A Sunday roast with all the trimmings? Tempranillo and Touriga & Tintas are right at home. And when there’s spice on the table a curry, a tagine, something warming and aromatic, our Gewürztraminer is the wine to surprise your guests with.
The thread that ties it all together is balance. Because we farm high and cool our wines hold onto their freshness, lifting a hearty meal rather than weighing it down. That’s the quiet gift of New England winter wines.
Make a winter getaway of it
If you’re dreaming up a cosy winter getaway in New England NSW, we love what our neighbours capture over at Under Guyra Skies. A beautiful window into slow country life on the tablelands, all frosty fields, farmhouse fires and the gentle rhythm of a Guyra winter. Pair a morning reading their stories with an afternoon by our cellar door fire and you’ve got the makings of a perfect weekend in our part of the world.
Can’t make it up Toppers Mountain just yet?
We understand, it’s a long way up. Our full range of small-batch, single-estate, individually numbered wines is available to shop online, ready to be poured beside your own fireplace this winter.
However you choose to spend it, we hope this season brings you long evenings, good food, and a glass of something worth slowing down for. And when you’re ready, the fire’s lit and the door’s open.