Wine isn’t dead, even if it takes a Graveyard to show it

Last weekend, a few days after Endeavour Group announced it was offloading most its winery and vineyard assets, I flew to the Hunter Valley for the launch of Brokenwood’s 2024 Graveyard Shiraz. 

Brokenwood has unveiled its flagship wine in this fashion every year since 1984, when the inaugural ’83 vintage was introduced over lunch to around 50 of the winery’s partners, friends and supporters. As Graveyard’s reputation has grown, so has the event, evolving from a marquee barbecue to a catered, sit-down lunch for over 350 in the barrel shed.

For the guests – largely Brokenwood’s top-tier wine club members, plus winemaking alumni and a handful of VIPs – it’s the most anticipated event on the calendar, and not just because it’s their first opportunity to taste the brand-new release. They come, even on the years a Graveyard isn’t made, because they love wine and think it's worth celebrating.

The Graveyard launch event began as a simple barbecue for the winery's partners, friends and supporters.

Although I’m confident buyers will be found for Oakridge, Josef Chromy, and the others in Endeavour’s portfolio, I worry about the optics. I worry that the message it sends is that there’s no value in premium wine businesses, in provenance, in thoughtfully and responsibly growing grapes and, through a magic combination of art and science, turning them into a joyous, culturally important time capsule.

When I rang EDG after the news broke, they told me that investing in agriculture is financially risky. To be fair, there wouldn’t be a winemaker on the planet who’d disagree. Throw in export woes, rising production costs, cost-of-living pressures, climate and oversupply issues, and it's not exactly the safest horse to back. 

But if, as the research states, we’re drinking less but drinking better, why is their solution to sell off 50-year-old vineyards and potentially fill bottles with bulk wine instead? Does EDG really think their retail customers will keep buying Chapel Hill if it’s not Chapel Hill? Loyalty goes both ways. It’s certainly not going to attract the next generation of wine drinkers, for whom provenance is paramount, meaning any gains made through lower production costs will likely be short-lived.

The launch is now held in the barrel shed and over 350 guests attend.

When I look at Brokenwood, or Sami-Odi, or Giaconda or Tolpuddle, or any of the other world-class Australian labels who can sell out their entire annual production off a single email, it’s obvious there is value in premium wine businesses. In fact, in this era of misinformation and mistrust, of wars, AI, and other existential threats, I’d argue the value is greater than ever. We want something that's honest and real. 

To be clear, premium doesn’t have to mean expensive. It’s about care and dedication and craftsmanship. One of the reasons Brokenwood was named the 2026 Halliday Winery of the Year was because of the quality evident across its entire range, right down to its $23 Cricket Pitch blends. And there are thousands of other examples of well-made wines available across the country at a similar pricepoint.

This take is simplistic, perhaps, but anecdotally at least, it rings true: if you are an ethical operator, you make a good product and you look after your people – staff and customers – your business will be healthy. 

Brokenwood's chief winemaker, Stuart Hordern, at the 2026 Graveyard Launch.

I am worried about EDG’s announcement, both for the wineries affected and the message it sends, but I know that the industry is stronger than it sometimes sounds. For every closure or ripped-up vineyard, I hear about a new label or new tasting room, or a young producer sends me a new wine to try. I know how many people are out there buying wine. I see it every day.

I wish EDG’s CEO Jayne Hrdlicka could’ve been at Brokenwood on Saturday, to see, with her own eyes, the hundreds of people chatting excitedly about the wines, ordering more for their cellars, laughing, dancing, and booking their accommodation for the following year’s event on their way out. 

It might take Graveyard to show it, but wine is far from dead.

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