The Hunter Valley is the oldest wine-producing area in Australia. Just imagine: the first vine appeared on this land in the early 1820s! Today, it is the most visited wine region in the country, receiving just over 1.5 million visitors annually: both locals and travelers.

The Hunter Valley is about 2 hours north of Sydney and an hour from the coastal southeastern city of Newcastle. Be sure to check out the tasting at the modest but legendary winery named Lake's Folly. They produce light, elegant, low-alcohol wines which are the perfect complement to food. They are appreciated by gourmets, professionals, and critics. However, finding even a single bottle of these wines on the shelves of even local grocery and liquor stores is a rarity and a stroke of luck.

The history of Lake's Folly began when the winery's founder, Sydney surgeon Dr. Max Lake, planted the first vine in 1963. It was the most famous red grape variety in the world, Cabernet Sauvignon, the serious potential of which other Hunter Valley winemakers ignored. While the berries were ripening, Max built a small white house with a pointed roof, the image of which later became the winery's logo. The first Lake's Folly Cabernet appeared in 1966. Soon Max Lake planted the equally famous white Chardonnay grape variety and got Lake's Folly Chardonnay.

At this point, new plantings almost stopped. The owner of Lake's Folly focused not on quantity but quality and improvement of the drink. While other wineries were busy making harsh fortified wines, Max Lake stood up for his principles and tried to create worthy and elegant tastes, not inferior to French Bordeaux and Burgundy. He was called a madman, but he stayed true to his idea and was right. Even after more than half a century, Lake's Folly continues to adhere to the principles laid down by Max Lake and does not pursue large volumes of production. And connoisseurs of outstanding wines never stop hunting for rare and valuable examples from this winery.