November 5, 2025 Kylie White

First Creek’s ‘Chardonnay Queen’ Crowned NSW Wine of the Year

It’s been quite the year for family-owned Hunter Valley winery First Creek Wines, this week taking home six trophies at the coveted NSW Wine Awards, including the ultimate honour - NSW Wine of the Year for its single vineyard Chardonnay and being named Most Successful Exhibitor for the second-year running.

The standout wine, First Creek Single Vineyard Will’s Hill Chardonnay 2023, impressed judges with its poise, purity, and regional expression, also collecting trophies for Best White Wine and Best Chardonnay in New South Wales. This same wine from the 2022 vintage was named NSW Wine of the Year in 2023, showing an incredible pedigree emerging for Chardonnay from this enviable site in the heart of the Hunter Valley.

Chair of Judges Adam Walls commented of this wine that it’s a wine which “stands alongside the best Chardonnay’s in Australia and one that captures all that is great about modern day New South Wales Chardonnay.”

First Creek Limited Release Vermentino 2025 was awarded the trophy for Best Other Single Variety White, and First Creek Classic Hunter Valley Rosé 2025 was awarded the Trophy for Best Light Red or Rosé, taking the trophy count to six of just 21 trophies awarded at the presentation held at the ICC Sydney.

These wins mark the culmination of an incredible wine show season for Chief Winemaker Liz Silkman and her husband, CEO Shaun Silkman, who together lead the family owned First Creek Wines.

The 2025 wine show season began with great gusto with Liz Silkman being named Halliday Winemaker of the Year 2025 - the first and only Hunter Valley winemaker to ever receive the honour. Then in May this year, Liz was the first Hunter Valley Winemaker to ever be named Hunter Valley Winemaker of the Year four times.

Halliday further recognised the team’s talent, naming the First Creek Single Vineyard Oakey Creek Semillon 2017 as Halliday Wine Companion Semillon of the Year 2026.

“We’re incredibly proud of our team and the recognition our wines continue to receive,” said Chief Winemaker Liz Silkman. “These awards reflect years of dedication in the vineyard and winery, and it’s an amazing feeling to see our wines being recognised as some of the best in the country. These awards give recognition to my amazing team, and I love that they were able to receive these trophies for their efforts.”

CEO Shaun Silkman added,

“Our team’s recent success is the culmination of nearly twenty years of dedication. We’ve focused on producing the highest quality fruit in the Hunter and undoubtedly have one of the most talented winemaking teams in the country. We’ve honed our resources and skills to produce an outstanding range of contemporary Hunter wines, and we’ve partnered with renowned family-owned distributor Domaine Wine Shippers to ensure these wines reach as many consumers as possible. I am extremely proud of our team, who have now won NSW Wine of the Year four times in six years, a milestone achieved by no other NSW winery.”

With no family winemaking lineage - just a steadfast dream to one day make great wine - Liz Silkman really is the Hunter’s ‘Chardonnay Queen’ and is arguably one of Australia’s most celebrated winemakers in 2025.