In 2002 the De Bortoli family added a Hunter Valley vineyard and winery to its ever-expanding portfolio. This was a strategic move to enable De Bortoli to produce premium wine from the renowned winemaking region, and increase the company's profile in Sydney and overseas markets.

The expansion underlines the family's commitment to the wine industry. The Hunter Valley has deep historical significance being Australia's oldest wine growing region producing wines of a distinctive character and personality that complement the wines grown at De Bortoli's Yarra Valley and King Valley vineyards. The focus will be on the winestyles the Hunter has made famous, its unique Semillon and Shiraz that develop gracefully in the bottle as well as Chardonnay, Verdelho and Merlot.

The 26-hectare property includes an 800 tonne capacity winery and produces the De Bortoli Hunter Valley and Individual Vineyard series. The existing vineyard plantings of 19 hectares are in the process of being reorganised with some varieties not suited to the region being removed and replaced with more suitable varieties including classic Hunter stalwarts Semillon and Shiraz. De Bortoli purchased the adjoining 100 acre block with the view to future plantings and also another nearby vineyard with mature Semillon vines planted back in the 1960s.

De Bortoli is looking forward to great things from the Hunter Valley and has already enjoyed considerable success with the 2004 Hunter Valley Semillon winning two important trophies: Best Regional Australia White Wine Single Variety under ten pounds at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2005 and Best 2004 Vintage Dry White Wine at the 2005 Hunter Valley Wine Show.

In 2004 De Bortoli Hunter Valley crushed 567 tonnes of fruit including 319 tonnes of white grapes and 248 tonnes of red grapes. The winery currently has a storage capacity of 950,000 litres but the aim is to increase the crush to around 1500 tonnes. A new barrel hall has recently been completed but there are further plans for expansion of the winery and for a new Cellar Door sales complex. The winery and vineyard are overseen by Site Manager, Scott Harrington.