Winmark Wines & Winmark Art Gallery — Restaurant in Broke

In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face is that, in the grand scheme of things, the average sip of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations. The new needs friends. Today, I experienced something new, an extraordinary glass of Chardonnay from a singularly unexpected source. To say that both the wine and its maker have challenged my preconceptions about fine viniculture is a gross understatement. They have rocked me to my core. In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain for Winmark Wine’s famous motto: "taste and see." But I realise, only now do I truly understand what it meant. Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere. It is difficult to imagine more humble origins than those of the genius now fermenting at Winmark who is, in this critic's opinion, nothing less than the finest winemaker in Australia. I will be returning to Winmark soon,...

We held our wedding at Winmark Wines, with family members staying at the three properties on the estate for a leisurely long weekend in mid-April. It was perfect, and we couldn't have asked for more. The estate itself is magnificent, set in a valley surrounded by hills that light up at sunrise and sunset. You can easily spend hours casually meandering around, taking in the vines and numerous sculptures the owner has installed throughout.

We used the main house, Mio Monte, and its garden as the focal point and venue for the lead up and big day itself, including Paint n Sip, barbecue, wedding, and reception. Karin and her team made us feel so welcome, and nothing was too much trouble. Gary came up with alternative suggestions for where to conduct the ceremony and took us on a personal tour of the grounds, for which we were very grateful.

The estate makes an ideal base to visit other wineries in the area, and we also enjoyed a family tasting at Winmark itself, which was delicious - especially if you're a Chardonnay fan. James Halliday's Wine Companion rated Winmark five stars in 2024, and their cellar door was 2023 Hunter Valley Cellar Door of the Year.

If you're thinking of tying the knot in the Hunter region, we can't think of anywhere else we would recommend...

If you like art and chardonay then you'll really enjoy this winery. We went on a beautiful sunny spring-like day. The grounds are lovely, the decor of the tasting area is gorgeous and the hosts were so attentive, considerate and entertaining. We had a tasting of all four chardonays that they have to offer and were given a brief history of the wines and the winery. The food on the charcuterie board was fantastic. Then we walked around the beautiful grounds looking at all the outdoor art. I found it reminiscent of sculpture by the sea at Bondi Junction. We were given a guide pamphlet so we could find the art pieces and read a bit about them. That was so helpful. Some of the art was kind of hidden and was a nice surprise to find them nestled in amongst the landscape. Others were big statement pieces with impact. Then there's the art gallery on site. We loved the art on display there. Wished we could've afforded to buy some. But I settled on buying an Australian made sun hat instead. There's also a gift shop section with beautiful small homeware type items. I would return in a heartbeat, we had such a lovely day. Thanks to our hosts for making it a...