Would you believe it! The little Wombat is celebrating it's 20th vintage this year.

To mark the occasion we are hosting a special Members and Friends wine lunch at Restaurant Botanica.

It's been an amazing journey since Ian Napier bought Wombat Crossing Vineyard in 2003 and created one of the finest single vineyard wineries in the Hunter Valley.

Our 1 hectare Semillon block was planted in 1996, and our 2 hectare Shiraz block was planted in 1997. Both were planted by John Malloch working with Ferdy Mickish. Our 1 hectare Chardonnay block (yes, Malloch's Block) was planted in 2004 by Ian.

For those history buffs, we believe the clone stocks used for the Semillon and Shiraz plantings are direct descendants of the original vine stock brought to Australia by John Busby in 1828.

We've had some great vintages and some not so great (don't mention the 2020 bushfires!). Wombat Crossing Vineyard has now won over 140 medals and trophies since our first vintage in 2005, punching well above our weight.

The celebration will begin with canapes on arrival at Restaurant Botanica served with our 2024 Sparkling Chardonnay. This will be followed by a 3 course lunch exclusively created by the Chef to match our wines being served. Following lunch we can all wander over to the Wombat Crossing Vineyard Cellar Door to enjoy cheese, and maybe some more wine.

We are hoping to persuade (subject to their busy schedule) Roz and Kev from Cedar Creek Wombat Rescue & Hospital to join us after lunch with a wombat joey for photo opportunities!

As a very special treat we will be opening bottles of some of our very first vintage, the 2005 Hermit's Block Shiraz. We only have 8 bottles left so this will be the last tasting of this wine.

We will also drag out from the Cellar a selection of some great back vintages. This is going to be a lunch not to be missed. Details are below:

• DATE:    Saturday 12th April 2025
• WHERE:  Restaurant Botanica. 555 Hermitage Rd. POKOLBIN
• TIME:     12:15pm for a 12:30pm start
• PRICE:   $185 per person
• RSVP:    Please book by Tuesday 1st April 2025

To reserve your seat for this great day, contact Simon Brooker on simon.brooker@wombatcrossing.net.

Please let us know of any dietary requirements.

We look forward to celebrating with you on the day!