"John Wallace is my middle name, which was given to me in honour of my grandfathers, John and Wallace," says Done, who, akin to Australian artist Ken Done, has had to condone the mispronunciation of his last name since time immemorial. "I've spent a lifetime correcting people on the way to say my last name," he says. "It's one of the reasons why I decided to use my middle name, instead, whilst honouring both my grandfathers."

No relation to William, then. Regardless, there's still a keen sense of freedom to be found within a glass of John Wallace wine, especially when quaffing these two drops made by Done this year, with a little help from his partner, Beth - who, incidentally, has a better singing voice than Done, but only slightly better dance moves.

John Wallace Wines joins the ranks of other small family owned winemaking outfits - such as Horner and Mercer - who's new wine brands are bursting out all throughout the Hunter Valley. It's a sure sign of a real renewed faith in the future of Australia's oldest winegrowing region, while, at the same time, offering wine lovers even more choice when trying to decide on a decent drop of locally fermented grape juice.

"My wines are about family, bringing people together, and not taking life too seriously. Just enjoying the good times with family and friends," Done says. "My ethos is to take the best fruit I can and craft unique wines to be enjoyed no matter the occasion."

So far, two wines have got their start in the run on side for John Wallace Wines in 2021, with a couple of literal Reserve's scheduled to take the field later in the year.

The 2021 'Maggie White' ($25) is pure easy going class in a glass; a novel blend of semillon, vermentino, chardonnay, and pinot gris, it's full of fleshy tropical fruit with a bright clean carry, thanks to some slick acidity providing line and length.

"I love making aromatic white wines, so I decided to create a unique white blend with some of my favourite varieties, and try to craft a wine suitable for all types of foods and occasions," Done says.

Meanwhile, the 2021 'Juju Red' ($25) is a lip smacking bottle of ruby hued freshness, made from 100% shiraz, redolent of ripe red berries; juicy raspberry, fleshy cherry, with a plum skin texture and velvety, savoury tannins.

"Juju is just real easy drinking, crunchy freshness... I wanted Juju to be a red wine that retains its freshness and direction, but still have a bit of opulence about it too," Done says.

Job done, I reckon.