Broke Fordwich is a registered wine sub-region, one of only a few the Hunter recognises in its own right, given the status in 1997. It covers the land around Wollombi Brook where Broke meets Fordwich.
The soil is what marks it out. The brook has left sandy alluvial ground across the flats, with a strip of red volcanic clay on the Fordwich Sill, and local growers credit that mix for their Semillon. The cellar doors are few and small, set along quiet roads well west of Pokolbin.
It’s a place to visit on purpose rather than pass through. Distances between stops run longer than in the central cluster, so choose two or three, check they’re open that day, and allow time for the drive back.
