Ask most people to name the Hunter Valley's signature white wine and they'll say Semillon. They're right. Hunter Semillon is one of the great wine styles of the world. But there's another white that the Hunter has quietly made its own, one that doesn't get nearly enough credit: Verdelho.
It's not a grape most people know before they come through the cellar door. But pour someone a glass of well-made Hunter Verdelho and they get it immediately. It's generous, aromatic, and packed with tropical fruit in a way that feels completely at odds with its Portuguese origins and completely at home in the Australian sunshine.
Where Verdelho Comes From
Verdelho is originally from Madeira, the Portuguese island where it was used to produce rich fortified wines. It arrived in Australia in the 1800s and found a surprisingly warm welcome in the Hunter Valley. Most of the world's wine regions use Verdelho only sparingly, if at all. The Hunter adopted it as a full table wine style, dry, aromatic, best enjoyed young, and made it entirely its own.
What the Hunter's warm days and cool nights do to Verdelho is something the grape doesn't produce anywhere else: a broad, tropical fruit profile with enough natural acidity to keep it from being flabby. The result sits somewhere between a Semillon and a Chardonnay in body, but with a fruit character that's entirely distinct from either.
The 2026 Wildstreak Verdelho
Our 2026 Wildstreak Verdelho is about as expressive as the variety gets. It pours pale straw in the glass, and the nose opens with a vibrant rush of ripe rockmelon and hints of passionfruit. On the palate, fresh pineapple and zesty grapefruit take over, offering a burst of bright, juicy flavour. A well-balanced interplay of sweetness and crisp acidity gives the wine structure without heaviness.
It's the kind of white wine you open when you want something aromatic and satisfying without ceremony. Chill it well, about 45 minutes in the fridge is right, and pour it generously. It also has the body to stand up to a year or two in the bottle, though most people find it hard to resist opening it immediately. At $30 a bottle, it's also one of the best value wines in the cellar door range.
What to Eat with It
Verdelho's tropical generosity makes it one of the most food-friendly whites in the cellar door lineup. The broad fruit profile and crisp finish are particularly good with:
- Asian cuisine Thai green curry, Vietnamese fresh rolls, Malaysian satay, laksa. The tropical fruit in the wine echoes the flavours in the dish without competing with them. This is one of the better matches for spicy food in the wine world.
- Seafood grilled tiger prawns, salt and pepper calamari, crab linguine. The grapefruit acidity cuts through the richness and lifts the brininess of fresh seafood.
- Grilled chicken or pork anything with a citrus or herb marinade works beautifully. The wine's fruit weight stands up to the protein where a lighter Semillon might get lost.
- Soft white cheeses brie, camembert, fresh ricotta. The wine's sweetness and the creaminess of the cheese create an easy, crowd-pleasing pairing for a cheese board at the cellar door.
The Fortified Side: Liqueur Verdelho
There's a reason Verdelho was originally used for fortified wine in Madeira, the grape's natural richness makes it exceptional when you concentrate and fortify it. Our Liqueur Verdelho is a different expression entirely from the dry table wine, but it comes from the same generous grape.
Rich golden amber in colour, it opens with intense aromas of ripe peach and apricot, with hints of honey, caramel, and creamy vanilla. The palate is smooth and luscious, with flavours of sticky fruits and toffee balanced by a refreshing acidity that gives the wine structure. The finish is long and warming, with a subtle oak influence that lingers.
It's excellent as a dessert wine with stone fruit tarts or crème brûlée, but also works beautifully as a small after-dinner pour alongside aged cheddar or blue cheese. At $40 for a 375mL bottle, it's a lovely way to round out a visit to the cellar door.
Come and Taste Both
Peter Drayton Wines is at 694 Hermitage Rd, Pokolbin, in the heart of the Hunter Valley. We're open Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm. Both the Wildstreak Verdelho and the Liqueur Verdelho are available to taste at the cellar door, and if you enjoy tropical, aromatic whites, they're an interesting side-by-side to try.
Both are also available to order online at pdwines.com.au. Wine Club members receive 30% off all wine purchases and free shipping on every order. If you're not a member yet, find out more about the Wine Club here, it pays for itself quickly if you enjoy a bottle or two a week.
