The Hunter Valley has no shortage of wineries, but few tell a story quite like Usher Tinkler Wines. This is a place where three generations of farming knowledge meet boundary-pushing winemaking, where historic vineyards planted decades ago produce wines that challenge convention, and where a renovated 1905 church serves as the cellar door for some of the region's most thought-provoking premium Australian wines. 

If you're looking to understand what makes our boutique Hunter Valley wines special, or you're simply curious about a winery that refuses to make boring wine, this is your introduction to Usher Tinkler Wines. 

Three Generations: The Tinkler Family Legacy 

The history of Usher Tinkler Wines spans three generations of farming and boutique winemaking in the Hunter Valley, a legacy that began with Usher's grandparents over 100 years ago. The story runs through The Dairyman, The Cattleman, and The Winemaker, all sharing the same name and an unwavering connection to the land. 

Usher Gordon formed a partnership with his two sons, Usher William and Ian Geoffrey, planting 35 hectares of vines with a focus on producing premium, boutique Hunter Valley wines. The family has always followed conservation farming practices to preserve and benefit the unique soil and environmental quality. This respect for the land and history of the Hunter Valley was passed onto Usher John Tinkler, the son of Usher William. 

Usher John's winemaking credentials speak for themselves. He was selected as a Len Evans Tutorial Scholar, won the Wine Society Young Winemaker of the Year, the Hunter Valley Rising Star of the Year, and has been a finalist for the Hunter Valley Winemaker of the Year on three separate occasions. 

Usher Tinkler Wines was founded by its namesake in 2015, born through his desire to forge his own distinct style of winemaking. Starting the business with his then-wife, Ebony, the aim was to produce premium and boutique Hunter Valley wines that were "disruptive and progressive." 

Ten years on and Usher Tinkler Wines has become one of the most exciting and progressive boutique wineries the Hunter Valley has to offer. With the cellar door operating out of the original Church of Pokolbin, the team showcases a diverse range of wines grown and produced entirely on the estate in Pokolbin, New South Wales. Looking ahead, Usher hopes to continue producing thought-provoking premium Australian wines that show the Hunter Valley in a new light. 

The Winemaking Philosophy: Estate-Grown, Minimal Intervention 

Understanding Usher Tinkler Wines requires understanding the philosophy behind every bottle. We believe that true winemaking includes the growing of the grapes and have developed our own sustainable farming methods to ensure a healthy future for our land, the environment, and our business. 

Rather than pursuing organic certification, we've adopted the principles of organic farming and adapted them to best suit our soils, vines, climate, and seasonal conditions. Each season is different; there is no one formula when it comes to viticulture and winemaking. Our focus on producing handcrafted Hunter Valley wines ensures quality throughout the entire process. 

Our wines are made only using the grapes we grow. Keeping each day's harvest separate in our simple winery setup helps maintain only the highest quality. It's important to allow the true characters of the fruit to shine through, which is why we've adapted a minimal intervention approach. Additions are only considered if the fruit is in poor condition, or after extreme growing seasons. By growing all our own grapes, we have full control over the vines throughout the entire growing cycle. 

All wines produced by Usher Tinkler Wines are sustainably farmed and vegan certified, reflecting our commitment to quality and environmental responsibility. 

Understanding the Wine Ranges: Four Distinct Styles 

Usher Tinkler Wines produces several ranges, each with its own purpose and personality. Here's how to understand what each range represents and which wines you'll find within them. 

According to natural wine educators at Wine Folly, skin contact white wines (often called orange wines) have been made for thousands of years but are experiencing a modern renaissance. The technique adds phenolic structure, deeper flavours, and a completely different texture compared to conventional white winemaking. 

For old vine Semillon like what we farm at Usher Tinkler Wines, both approaches showcase the fruit's intensity and concentration, just through radically different lenses. 

The UTW Range: Bright, Vibrant, Drink-Now Wines

The UTW Range (short for Usher Tinkler Wines) takes fruit from premium, old-vine sites and uses it to produce a range of boutique blends designed to be drunk young and fresh. These wines are bright, vibrant, and drink at their best in the first six years of their life. 

• Usher Tinkler White: A blend of 70% Chardonnay and 30% Semillon. This wine takes the flinty and funky aromas of wild-yeast, barrel-fermented Chardonnay and adds the zesty, fresh citrus flavors of Semillon. 
• Usher Tinkler Rose: A 50/50 blend of Shiraz and Merlot. The fruit is picked just after the color has changed to red, before being gently crushed, quickly pressed, and fermented in a cool tank. The result is a wine with fresh juicy fruit, lots of strawberry, plum, and spice. 
• Usher Tinkler Red: A boutique blend that in times past would have been called "Hunter Valley Burgundy." This wine blends premium old-vine Shiraz with Hunter Valley Pinot. Gentle handling, whole-berry fermentation, and old-oak maturation minimize extraction and enhance fruit flavor. It's a light- to medium-bodied red that works beautifully with food. 

The Reserve Range: Premium Old Vine Expression 

The Reserve Range is a small-batch release of premium, old-vine Shiraz and Chardonnay. These wines are extremely limited, only being produced in exceptional years, and crafted from only the best barrels. 

• Reserve Chardonnay: Whole-bunch pressed and fermented on wild yeast in a mix of new and old French oak. Each of these bottles is numbered by batch and hand-waxed, signaling the care given to this premium Australian wine. 
• Reserve Shiraz: Made from old-vine Hunter Shiraz with minimal irrigation. The wine is aged for 10 months in a mix of old and new premium French oak barrels. 

These are wines for special occasions or for cellaring. They represent Hunter Valley winemaking at its most refined. 

Minimal Intervention Wines: Pushing Boundaries

These wines are handled minimally throughout the winemaking process and have no additions made. Usher Tinkler is one of the pioneers of this style of winemaking being used on premium Hunter Valley fruit. Each of these wines is bottled without fining or filtration and features little to no preservatives. 

• Death by Semillon is far richer and more developed in youth than a classic style Hunter Valley Semillon. Destemmed and fermented with wild yeast on skins, pressed into old oak and undergoing full malolactic fermentation, then bottled without fining or filtration, the final wine is textural and juicy. This is natural winemaking applied to Hunter Valley's most iconic grape. 
• Rebirth Shiraz is a Pokolbin Nouveau style, produced using old vine Shiraz planted in 1965, fermented on wild yeast and matured in old French oak barrels for six months. The final wine is bottled without fining or filtration and gives flavors of black fruit and spice. It's meant to be drunk young and celebrates freshness over power. 
• A.W.P.B.F.M. (A Wine Pornography by Fred Mountain) is Viognier with a dash of Hamburg Muscat. With 30% whole-bunch fermentation, this wine was fermented on wild yeast and foot stomped twice a day to extract flavors through every part of the fruit. Aged in old oak and with a full malolactic fermentation, the final wine is textured, rich, and earthy. This is experimental winemaking at its most adventurous.  

Single Vineyard Wines: Site-Specific Expression 

Only being produced in exceptional years in the Hunter Valley, these wines are boutique representations of single vineyards. Each tells the story of a specific piece of land and the vines that grow there. 

• Big Bad Bill Semillon is a premium example of classic Hunter Valley Semillon. Produced from vines planted by Usher 'Bill' Tinkler (Usher's dad) in 1980, the wine shows ripe zesty lime citrus with some tropical fruit and passionfruit characteristics. Clean, pure flavors and a true premium expression of old vine concentration. This wine honors tradition while showcasing what estate-grown fruit can achieve.
• Paperwasp Chardonnay takes its name from the paper wasps that call this vineyard home and play a key part in our integrated pest management strategy. A style of Chardonnay that is richer in youth than our Reserve Chardonnay, it uses a mix of wild and cultured yeast, a portion of new oak, and a small amount of malolactic fermentation to give a wine with robust flavors of yellow peach, lemon zest, and cashew nut. 
• Devil's Kitchen Pinot Noir represents a variety not often grown in the Hunter Valley, despite its storied history here. This vineyard is named the Devil's Kitchen due to the way the vineyard looks. Pinot Noir vines have been planted, replaced, grafted, and relocated into a complex work of art, looking something like "the Devil's Kitchen." A small boutique vineyard producing premium Hunter Valley Pinot Noir that challenges expectations of what the region can grow.

 Sparkling Wines: Celebration and Innovation 

• La Volpe Prosecco is one of, if not, the most recognized wine produced by Usher Tinkler Wines. This remains one of the only Proseccos both grown and produced entirely in the Hunter Valley. The climate of the Hunter Valley restricts the yield of the variety but gives a brighter, fresher style of Prosecco. It's become a signature wine for the winery and a favorite among visitors.
• Enneagram is a sparkling Rosé produced using nine varieties all blended together. A small amount of this blend is produced every year, giving a truly boutique and thought-provoking wine. Named after the personality test, everyone who tries this wine tastes something different. We invite you to visit us and give it a try yourself. 

Mr T's Rare Batch: A Labor of Love 

• A rare bottling of fortified Verdelho, Mr T's is a masterfully crafted blend of flavors: sweet caramel, old whiskey, toast, and spice. This wine is incredibly limited per batch as the average barrel age sits around 15 years. Each bottle is filled, waxed, and labeled by hand on site in the Hunter Valley. A labor of love to show the dedication put into every batch of this boutique fortified wine. 
• This is a wine for sipping slowly, for savoring the complexity that only comes with time and patience. 

Why Visit Usher Tinkler Wines? 

• Reading about wine only takes you so far. The real experience happens when you taste these wines in the place they were made, guided by people who understand every decision that went into each bottle.
• The Usher Tinkler cellar door operates out of the original 1905 Pokolbin Church, offering a unique setting that matches the unique approach to winemaking. Tastings combine wine with a premium salumi and cheese experience, demonstrating how these wines interact with food. 
  • Hours: Open seven days a week. 
  • Wine Tastings: 10am to 5pm. 
  • Salumi & Cheese: 10:30am to 3pm. 
  • Bookings: Recommended, especially on weekends. 

• For those who can't visit in person, the online shop offers the full range with detailed tasting notes and the option to join The Society, our wine club membership program that offers exclusive benefits, discounts, and early access to new releases. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

What makes Usher Tinkler Wines different from other Hunter Valley wineries? 
Every wine we make comes from grapes we grow ourselves on our estate in Pokolbin. That estate-only approach, combined with three generations of farming heritage and Usher's international winemaking experience (including five vintages in Burgundy), gives us a perspective that few in the region can match. We also produce across a broader range of styles than most boutique wineries, from classic Hunter Valley Semillon to minimal intervention natural wines, all from the same patch of land. 

What types of wine does Usher Tinkler make? 
Our range covers a lot of ground. The UTW Range offers approachable blended whites, rosé, and reds for everyday drinking. The Reserve Range is our limited-release premium Chardonnay and Shiraz, produced only in exceptional years. Our Minimal Intervention wines (Death by Semillon, Rebirth Shiraz, and A.W.P.B.F.M.) are natural and unfiltered. The Single Vineyard range spotlights specific estate sites through Semillon, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir. We also make La Volpe Prosecco, Enneagram sparkling rosé, and Mr T's Rare Batch fortified Verdelho. All wines are estate-grown, sustainably farmed, and vegan certified. 

Where is Usher Tinkler Wines located? 
We're at 97 McDonalds Road, Pokolbin, in the heart of the Hunter Valley, about 160 kilometers north of Sydney. Our cellar door operates out of the original 1905 Pokolbin Church and is open seven days a week. Bookings are recommended, particularly on weekends. 

Start Your Journey with Usher Tinkler Wines 

The Hunter Valley offers more than just a wine region. It provides an education in approachability, quality, and the joy of discovery. The wines here are made to be enjoyed, not just collected. The winemakers are innovators who respect tradition while pushing boundaries. And the experience is designed to welcome you in, regardless of your wine knowledge level. 

For beginners, there's no better place to start understanding Australian wine. The region offers a strong sense of history alongside a drive for innovation, and a winemaking philosophy that values drinkability and expression over trends. 
Usher Tinkler represents the best of what Hunter Valley offers. Our approach combines authentic winemaking rooted in generational farming knowledge with an adventurous spirit that refuses to make boring wine. 

Ready to explore? Discover Usher Tinkler's range of Hunter Valley wines and start your tasting journey today. Because the best way to learn about wine is by drinking it rather than just reading about it.