A MAN who heads a Newcastle-based company that sells wine to more than 200,000 people throughout Australia and a husband and wife team who have graced the region’s fine dining scene for 45 years became Hunter Valley Wine and Tourism legends on Thursday night.
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Greg Walls, chief of Australian Wine Selectors (AWS), was declared a Hunter Living Legend of Wine at the 12th annual Hunter Valley Wine and Tourism Awards dinner at the Ben Ean function centre at Pokolbin.
Robert and Sally Molines, proprietors of the one-hatted restaurant Bistro Molines at Mount View, were crowned Hunter Living Legends of Tourism and Hospitality.
The three new legends were cheered by a crowd of more than 250 at the 2018 awards dinner. They join an august group that includes Karl Stockhausen, Brian McGuigan, Fay McGuigan, Jay Tulloch, Bruce Tyrrell, Phil Ryan, Chris Barnes, Pat Auld, Ian Scarborough, Kevin Sobels, Ken Bray, Alain Le Prince and Ian Tinkler.
Greg Walls established the Hunter Valley Wine Society in 1975 and this has grown into the huge Australian Wine Selectors mail-order wine business.
Robert and Sally Molines met while working in Sydney restaurants and came to the Hunter in 1973 to spark a culinary revolution at the Happy Valley Restaurant. In the years since, in a succession of restaurants, they have become fine dining icons.
Other 2018 award winners were: Winemaker of the Year, Stuart Hordern, Brokenwood Wines; Viticulturist of the Year, Neil Stevens, Glen Oak Wines; Rising Star of the Year, Aaron Mercer, Tamburlaine Wines; Cellar Door of the Year, Margan Wines; Hunter Valley Wine Industry 2018 Heritage Award, Drayton's Bellevue wine label.
The Hunter Valley Wine and Tourism Association vice-president, Brian McGuigan, said the award recipients were among the “passionate custodians” who earned the Hunter recognition as a wine and food destination.
“The Hunter Valley is the oldest and most-visited wine region in Australia by overseas tourists and its incredible wines have found their way into the homes of many others, thanks to the hard work and vision of all our winners,” he said.
