Hunter Valley vineyard a golden opportunity for Chinese buyers

Hunter Valley vineyard a golden opportunity for Chinese buyers
Jonathan ChancellorSeptember 12, 2011

The Golden Grape Estate winery and restaurant at Pokolbin in the lower Hunter Valley of New South Wales has been bought by Chinese interests.

The winery, with history dating back to 1866, has been sold for $2.8 million to businessman Genghua Lin.

It is among the increasing number of prominent Hunter wine tourism properties sold recently to Chinese interests.

Golden Grape Estate boasts a wine museum that features the oldest wine press on the continent.

The 42-hectare Golden Grape holding sold through Jurds estate agent Cain Beckett, who says the Golden Grape price was ‘‘very strong,’’ at a time when there was ‘‘no domestic market for vineyards’’.

The vineyard is made up of classic Hunter Valley varietals including shiraz, chardonnay, verdelho, muscat and merlot and is watered by three dams and a 10 megalitre PID allocation.

Sign photo by Charlie Brewer

Jonathan Chancellor

Jonathan Chancellor is one of Australia's most respected property journalists, having been at the top of the game since the early 1980s. Jonathan co-founded the property industry website Property Observer and has written for national and international publications.