If you haven’t tried wine produced from grapes grown in the Myall Coast region then perhaps you should, as you might be pleasantly surprised.

In the three years since Old Inn Road Wine at Bulahdelah has been in commercial production, their wines have won one a Gold medal and two Bronze medals plus a Best in Class award at the New England and Australian Small Winemakers shows.

Is this success just due to local conditions, or something broader?

    Viticulturist, Dale Bradshaw, from Old Inn Road Wine thinks it is both.

“Of course you must always strive to produce top quality fruit because every great wine begins with the best fruit, but around Bulahdelah I think we’re lucky because nature gives us a hand,” he said.

The French have a term “terroir” that attempts to capture all of the environmental conditions in a particular area that give a wine its unique traits.

Dale explains a good example of this is Semillon and the Hunter Valley.

“The environmental conditions in the Hunter are just right for producing Semillons of great complexity and finesse. Here, the terrior seems perfect for growing Verdelho,” he said.

Dale believes the geography and climate on the Myall Coast produces wines that have vibrant tropical flavours, lifted aromas and a beautifully crisp, clean finish.

“It’s the sort of wine that goes really well with fresh fish, oysters, local prawns or just on its own with some cheese and crackers,” he said.

Over time Dale predicts the mid-north coast will develop into its own unique wine region as more and more vineyards spring up and the area gets recognition for the uniqueness of the wine produced there.

“That has to be good news for everyone,” he said.