The 'Tawny' style of rich fortified is sadly nowhere near as popular as it once was, but the remaining wines - like this super lush Hungerford Hill Liqueur Tawny - remind us how delicious they can be. Made from very ripe Shiraz grapes, including plenty from the Hunter Valley, the wine is then fortified with brandy spirit and aged in small oak barrels for many years to introduce the 'rancio' nutty character. You'll also taste lots of luscious fruitcake and vanilla with a generous serving of molasses and dried fig.

While the story of Hungerford Hill goes all the way back to 1967, when the Hungerford family first started planting vines in the Hunter Valley, it's the modern history of this winery that is the important bit. Now once again a family-owned business, and with a portfolio of famous old Hunter Valley vineyards and more wines from the cooler, wilder parts of NSW, Hungerford Hill is back (with a vengeance). You can blame Chief Winemaker Bryan 'BC' Currie for the newness. Bryan famously studied paleontology at university before becoming a winemaker, but there are no dinos here - instead, he produces a clever range that covers everything from the country's best Fiano, superb Tumbarumba Chardonnay & Pinot, a whole array of spicy Hilltops reds, and some of the best preservative-free reds in the Hunter.