Tucked away in Luskintyre is the stunning Tranquil Vale Vineyard

When you think of the Hunter Valley, the areas Pokolbin, Lovedale, Broke, and Wollombi naturally come to mind. What if, however, on your next visit to wine country you took a right turn off the Hunter Expressway, and made your way to the quiet little suburb of Luskintyre, home of Tranquil Vale Vineyard. 

Established in 1996 by Phil and Lucy Griffiths, it had been the couple's dream to own their own vineyard. Their daughter Connie, who works alongside her dad (Phil) as the vineyards viticulturist and winemaker, explains how this all came to be, 

Viticulturist and winemaker - Connie Griffiths

“Mum and dad are originally from the UK, and they loved Australian wine so mum went to Australia house in London, which is where you’d go to read the Australian newspapers. This was the early 90’s so pre-internet, and there was an advert for 25 acres on the Hunter River opposite Wyndham Estate. 

“That’s all it said, there was no picture, and from that ad they called the agent and said they wanted to put an offer in. They asked a friend in Sydney to take a visit and check it out, and that’s when they decided to sell the family home and move across the world to start running their own vineyard.”

When Phil and Lucy arrived with their two young children, they were starting from scratch – the property had only a tin shed to work with. The massive undertaking didn’t deter them, and what you see today is a reflection of Phil and Lucy’s hardwork and determination to build the vineyard of their dreams. 

The Wine Tasting

Connie takes us on a tour of the beautiful property, starting in the cellar door. It’s here that guests have the option to take the Standard Wine Tasting experience for $10pp, which includes a tasting of Tranquil Estate Vineyard selection of wines, together with Connie’s homemade sourdough and Tranquil Vale’s own olive oils that come courtesy of the properties avenue of olive trees. 

If you’re not in a hurry we’d recommend the two person tasting plate option, and taking a seat on the balcony that edges ever-so-close to the vineyards so you can really soak in the property’s tranquility.

“There’s very few vineyards in the Hunter Valley where you can sit this close to the actual vineyards and enjoy your wine tasting, it’s quite a unique experience.”

The Sourdough

Hand made by Connie, who has spent years perfecting the craft of a crispy exterior crust and light fluffy interior, so much so that she now offers sourdough baking classes. The full-day class operates in real time giving you the chance to bake your sourdough from scratch, with the four-hour baking process also taking in a wine tasting, lunch and wine tour. 

Connie also offers a demo tutorial style class which takes you through the same process using a pre-prepared sourdough to help speed up the process if you’re short on time. 

The Wines

As we stroll through the vineyards, Connie explains Tranquil Vale’s approach to winemaking, which is best described as boutique, . 

“We do everything by hand, pick the fruit, prune the vineyards, it is small batch and a very manual process, but that’s what keeps us in touch with the vineyard and produces the best fruit - the way we like doing it.

“From each vintage you get this real sense of the year and the place, so we have a little bit of variation in our vintages and we lean into that because we’re not trying to recreate the same wines each year. That’s part of the beauty of winemaking, and the challenge.’

The Accommodation

Right alongside the cellar door and working vineyard is Tranquil Vale’s 3 x 2 bedroom cottages, which can host a group of up to 15 at any one time. 

For couples, the Loft is ideal, featuring its own ensuite, and private balcony overlooking the vineyard and cellar door, a perfect retreat style space for those looking for some quiet time and privacy.

All guests have the option to make use of the tennis court, gymnasium and spectacular swimming pool area, where the views go on for days.

“When mum and dad started the business they felt there wasn’t anything for families in the Hunter Valley, so that’s what they set out to create, a space that both couples and families feel comfortable in.”

Speaking of which, the kids will love checking out the sheep, which Connie explains don’t really have a purpose other than just being really cute. 

Wandering the property you can’t help but notice how immaculately presented it is, manicured to perfection, you get the sense that the love of owning a vineyard has never faded, and has been passed onto the next generation.