OUR STORY
LEOGATE ESTATE WINES
Leogate Estate is a sustainable estate at the foot of the Brokenback Ranges in Australia’s oldest wine-producing region, the Hunter Valley.
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First planted in the 1970s by “one of the founding fathers of the modern Australian wine industry”, Len Evans AO OBE, current custodians Bill and Vicki Widin bought the original 50-hectare under vine Brokenback Vineyard in 2008. Bill and Vicki were former Angus producers in the Tamworth district at ‘Middlebrook Park’. They have used their own knowledge and experience on the land, along with the expertise of others such as senior winemaker Mark Woods, to reinvigorate the property and build the successful wine brand they are known for today.
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The Widins and senior winemaker, Mark Woods, have presided over international accolades including the IWC Trophy for Best New Wine, wines poured in Qantas First and Business class over the past seven years, and various medals have been awarded on the national wine show circuit for their prestigious wines.
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In eleven years of business, Bill and Vicki have driven significant expansion including establishing a winery, cellar door, restaurant, and function centre and in later years acquiring a certified organic, high altitude, 25-year-old vineyard in the Central Ranges, NSW.
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Bill and Vicki have also developed a global presence through developing strong relationships with distributors in China, UK, and the USA. James Halliday’s 2020 Australian Wine Companion gave Leogate Estate a red 5-Star Winery rating for the ninth year in a row.
BILL & VICKI WIDIN
OWNERS
At the time of purchasing Brokenback Vineyard, Bill and Vicki Widin were Black Angus cattle producers at “Middlebrook Park”’ and other farms in the Tamworth District for some 30 years. They used their own knowledge and experience of the land, along with the expertise of others such as senior winemaker Mark Woods, to reinvigorate the Brokenback Vineyard and to build the successful wine estate as known today.
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Now, some 15 years after purchase, Bill and Vicki have transformed this working vineyard into a prominent tourist destination where they offer a wide range of products and services which include a Cellar Door, Winery, Restaurant, Function Centre, Tourist Accommodation and Conference Centre.
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Bill and Vicki’s commitment to only offering the best has seen Leogate Estate preside over a host of local, national and international accolades including being awarded the prestigious James Rogers Trophy for the World’s “Best Wine in its First Year of Production” at the London International Wine Challenge in 2014.
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Being bestowed with the status of a James Halliday red 5 star rated winery since 2012, Leogate Estate has maintained a presence for the last six years with consecutive vintages showcased on Qantas International flights where our “Brokenback Vineyard” Shiraz has
been poured in Business Class and our “The Basin Reserve” Shiraz in First Class. This success has not stopped with their award-winning wines, as “The Gates Restaurant” was awarded the title of “Best Restaurant in a Winery” in regional NSW at the Restaurant and Catering Association awards in late 2020.
