M&J Becker Wines
Healthy dirt comes first here. The Hunter Valley has seen its fair share of custodians, but few put their pair of binoculars beneath the surface quite like Meagan and James Becker. Where others admire the canopy, they’re busy interrogating the dirt—coaxing life from below before expecting anything above.
Taking the helm at Ablington Vineyard in 2019, they wasted little time steering the estate toward Certified Organic status. They now turn out 500 cubic metres of compost a year (grape skins, spoiled straw, suburban mulch, chicken manure—the whole glorious pile) all in pursuit of a thriving soil food web. Intention over intervention, their single-vineyard wines are thoughtful, precise, and quietly reshaping expectations of the region. And, if that wasn’t enough, they’re also making wine out of California while producing an Australian-style Tequila. Their resume is a mouthful, but one we’d guzzle down happily.