Margan Winery

Established in 1997, Margan is the wine operation of Andrew Margan and his family. Speaking of family and history, the Margan family have a strong one in the Hunter Valley, with Andrew's father Frank establishing the DeBeyers vineyard in Pokolbin during the 1960s. Andrew himself spent 20 years working under the late Murray Tyrrell, with another 5 vintages racked up in France.

Margan vineyard

The key to the ongoing success of the Margan operation is the quality of the vineyards. Margan now has over 320 acres of vineyards, with the majority of them located in Broke Fordwich, having been first planted by Lindemans and Saxonvale in the late 60’s on the volcanic deposit known as the “Fordwich Sill”. In fact, some of the fruit from these vineyards went into the famed Lindemans 'Hunter River Burgundy' wines that are rightly renowned as some of the finest that the Hunter ever produced.

Margan Philosophy

"I enjoy making wines that show their sense of place. The Hunter Valley produces some of the most regionally unique styles of wine in the world. Every variety I grow has its own unique set of characters and structure that are affected significantly by the climate they enjoy, the soil they are produced from and the winemaking style I prefer. The quality of Margan is controlled from the vineyard right through to the consumer.

All of our wines are produced from our old vine, low yielding vineyards. The volcanic soils of the Fordwich Sill that nourish our vines produce excellent quality grapes that achieve optimal ripeness of flavour, colour and tannin. The wines that I can make from these grapes have great texture, structure and richness which are a true expression of the vineyard they come from. We produce a richer, softer Hunter style of wine.

In most cases I prefer to not interfere too much with what nature has provided and as such allow the flavour and characters of the fruit shine through to the wine. Minimal use of oak ensures that it is fruit intensity and natural structure that underpin my wines. The wines of the Hunter generally have excellent natural acidity which ensures they mature well and drink well with food.

On the whole, I choose to not blend wines from different vineyards or varieties because I firmly believe that each wine should be true expressions of its variety and region."
Andrew Margan

Margan Wine Types

The Margan operation broadly focus upon regional Hunter highlights, but with the odd rarity (such as Barbera) thrown in for good measure.

Thus the Margan wine range includes five different Semilons, ranging in style from light sparklers, right through to serious cellar styles and finishing with a celebrated Semillon based dessert wine. The range also included Verdelho, Chardonnay, Merlot, Shiraz (and a Shiraz rose) Cabernet and Barbera.

The top wines in the Margan range are found under the limited release white label and represent the wineries finest offerings.

Watch Stuart MacGill uncork Margan Wines