Three Hunter Valley wineries have been named in this year's top 50 vineyards.
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Katrina Barry (Graveyard Vineyard), Angus Vinden (Vinden Wines Somerset Vineyard) and Brent Hutton (Keith Tulloch Wines) all made the cut for the Young Guns of Wine annual awards.
It's the third year in a row that Mr Hutton has made the list and he could be happy to appear next to "some very big names".
ACM's Hunter Means Business asked the viticulturist what Keith Tulloch Wines was doing differently to achieve such recognition.
"My approach is around sustainability and not just farming wine," he said.
"We're always looking for ways to work with the environment rather than against - we have biodiversity beds with Australian natives, that attracts the beneficial insects that eat the ones we don't want.
"We haven't sprayed an insecticide for the past three years just by working with nature."
And what about this year's vintage?
"Geez it looks good," he said. "I think it'll be one to remember."
Kurri abattoir $19m redevelopment
To pair with all that wine, we're going to need some red meat.
Alexander Downs has lodged a development application for a $19-million rebuild of its meat processing facility at Kurri Kurri.
The group bought the abattoir in 2016, with the intent of eventually upgrading the facility, which is close to 50 years old.
"To not invest in the development would lead to the plant's closure as eventually the existing plant will not be able to comply with current legislation requirements," planning documents state.
The new processing facility will feature the sector's latest technology, and be more sustainable and environmentally friendly, with solar panels and several water and energy efficient measures.
The site can process up to 1700 head of stock a week, or roughly 140,000 kilograms of meat for all you city slickers (as a former agricultural journalist and self-proclaimed concrete cowboy, I'm allowed to say that).
The existing facility employs approximately 35 full and part-time staff, but the new operation will employ up to 60 people.
The entire rebuild and demolition process is expected to take just under two years once approved.
Information provided by NSW Treasury estimates proposed development will generate $30 million to the local economy.
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