THE HUNTER'S Hidden Gem - Running Horse Wines

What’s a weekend in the Hunter Valley without finding that special place that we then take great pleasure in sharing with the world – flooding Instagram and Facebook accounts as we enthusiastically rave about our new find? While the Hunter Valley is not short of beautiful scenery, wonderful wineries and unique wine – there is now a fascinating and ultra-cool cellar door located in the picturesque hamlet of Broke that is in a word – unique!

Ex-jockey turned winemaker, David Fromberg opened his cellar door for his Running Horse Wines label in 2018 – almost two decades after he first planted vines on his family’s 56-acre property at Broke.

With such a beautiful landscape around him, David knew his cellar door had to be something special so that visitors could appreciate and experience the wonderful views while enjoying his wine.

Designed by friend and architect David Kaunitz, the cellar door was constructed using six large stacked shipping containers that have been artfully repurposed with extensive use of glass to open them up to the surrounding landscape.

On entering the cellar door, the interior is equally as impressive with timber, glass, copper and steel featuring prominently, with a mass display of wine bottles creating an eye-catching feature along the one wall. The true centrepiece of the space, however, is a gleaming glass-topped bar, with a series of light panels that help to showcase the colour and clarity of the wine being tasted. What’s most striking about Running Horse Wines, however, is what’s in the bottles.

David is one of the few vignerons in the region specialising in aged wines, with his range including varieties of Semillon, Verdelho, Rosé and Shiraz.

“You can go through hundreds of cellar doors and never get to look at a range of wines that are so different,” David said.

“At the cellar door, we offer vertical tastings of wines that are 12–14 years old and are still drinking wonderfully but have real bottle-aged characteristics. Semillons that are 14 years old that still look like they’re six years old, or Verdelho's that are the same, they just age fantastically well."

The uniqueness of the building and quality of the wines at Running Horse Wines is not lost on travel review sites such as Trip Advisor which has given Running Horse Wines a 100% "excellent" review rating with comments that include "Best Wine in the Hunter Region", "Unique Tasting Room and a Wonderful Host", "Best Cellar Door", "The Most Fun I’ve Ever Had at a Cellar Door" and "We Love Dave!"

Discover what everyone is talking about – it truly is a remarkable place to sit and enjoy some fantastic wines. For more information visit www.runninghorsewines.com.au