Settlement of sale through JTS Realty Muswellbrook and Ray White Real Estate took place on December 31 and the new owners are now harvesting the 2022 grapes as they take charge of Two Rivers.

Ross Crump is a Pokolbin vineyard owner, Hunter cattle producer and former coal industry investor.

He told me this week the group would establish a second cellar door at Pokolbin, keep Denman vineyard and cellar door staff, expand the Two Rivers brand and upgrade its output of premium red wines.

The wines will continue to be made under contract at First Creek Pokolbin winery by ace winemaker Liz Silkman, who has been responsible for many gold medal and trophy-winning Two Rivers wines - including the Two Rivers 2013 Stone's Throw Museum Release Semillon that won 2018 Sydney Wine Show trophies for the best mature white and the best single-vineyard wine and the 2018 Stone's Throw Semillon that won trophies for best young white wine of the show and best-value white.

The Two Rivers business was put up for auction last August and passed in at $9.4 million. The Hunter River-fronted 103.2-hectare property has the Two Rivers cellar door, a homestead and a four-bedroom tourist-stay cottage and on the 41.88-hectare Waebron block a four-bedroom home. There are 64.51 hectares of vines, the 34.79-hectare The Flat block, with its 2.82 hectares of vines and 31.97 hectares of land suitable for grazing and cropping.

There is council approval for a tourist facility of 18 cabins and restaurant and for 20 rural residential home sites at Waebron.

The sale was brought about by the retirement of majority shareholder Sydney businessman Ross Pitts.

Now in his 80s, Mr Pitts in 1988 joined John and Mary Muddle, of poker machine maker Nutt and Muddle, in buying a Denman dairy farm and in 1989 planting Two Rivers vineyard. Among the planters were the Muddles' daughter Linda, who became Two Rivers' administration and cellar door manager, and her husband, Merriwa-born, Sturt University viticulture graduate Brett Keeping who was chief viticulturist and general manager.

On ending their 33 years at the vineyard the Keepings emailed wine club members and the Denman community thanking them for their support and declaring "Two Rivers will always hold a very special place in our hearts".

VINTAGE is a movable feast for many Hunter producers, as demonstrated in today's wines led by this pale straw, herbal-scented and crisp gooseberry front palate-flavoured Hungerford Hill 2021 Tumbarumba Sauvignon Blanc. The middle has kiwifruit, apple peel and mineral elements and a flinty acid finish. At hungerfordhill.com.au and cellar door.

PRICE: $27.

DRINK WITH: tapas.

AGEING: two years.

RATING: 4.5 stars

FROM the central Victorian vines planted by Tyrrell's in 1994, this Rufus Stone 2019 Heathcote Shiraz is deep garnet, bouquet garni-scented and plush plum-flavoured on the front palate. the middle shows mulberry, peppermint and mocha oak and chalky tannins play at the finish. At the Broke Rd, Pokolbin, winery, tyrrells.com.au and shops.

PRICE: $25.

DRINK WITH: roast pork.

AGEING: six years.

RATING: 4.5 stars

AARON Mercer, a veteran of 15 Hunter vintages, has gone multi-regional in his eponymous wine brand. Here's a refreshing Mercer 2021 Hilltops Pinot Grigio with green-tinted lemon hues, lychee scents and zingy ruby grapefruit front-palate flavour. The middle has pear, lime zest and gunmetal and a slatey acid finish. It's at mercerwines.com.au.

PRICE: $30.

DRINK WITH: sushi.

AGEING: two years.

RATING: 4.5 stars

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