There is a reason Hunter Valley Semillon is world-renowned, and our latest release just received a glowing endorsement from one of the industry’s most respected voices. We are thrilled to share that the De Iuliis 2025 Semillon has been featured as The Real Review’s “Wine of the Week.”

In his review, acclaimed critic Aaron Brasher describes Mike De Iuliis as being within the “inner sanctum” of the variety. It’s a proud moment for our team, especially as we continue to push the boundaries of what this unique grape can do in our region.

The Verdict: “Tooth-Crackingly Fresh”

The 2025 vintage was a rapid and remarkable success for us. The hot, dry conditions resulted in pristine fruit with incredible concentration. Aaron Brasher’s tasting notes perfectly capture the energy of this wine:

“Pale in the glass, bright and lively. Lifted aromas of waxy lemon, lemon grass, mineral and a sappy, green, woodsy lift. Tangy, pithy and snappy in flavour, with lashings of lemony crunch and crackle.” — Aaron Brasher, The Real Review

With a Score of 91 Points, this wine is a testament to the “drink now” appeal of modern Semillon while staying true to the variety’s legendary longevity.

Why You’ll Love the 2025 Vintage

If you are looking for a sophisticated, refreshing white wine, here is why the 2025 Semillon belongs in your glass:

• Low Alcohol, High Impact: At just 10.5% ABV, it is one of the original “low-cal” options by default—refreshing without being heavy.

• Cellaring Potential: While it’s “one for the acid hounds now,” Aaron suggests it will “really sing” if tucked away for 7–10 years.

• The Perfect Pairing: The Real Review recommends pairing this zesty drop with whitebait fritters, though we also love it with freshly shucked Sydney Rock oysters.

Shop the Award-Winning 2025 Semillon

As a Real Review Top Winery for 2025, we are committed to consistency and excellence. Whether you’re stocking up for a summer BBQ or looking for a special bottle to cellar until 2035, the 2025 Semillon is a quintessential Hunter Valley experience.

Tuna Crudo, Mango & Citrus Dressing

Serves: 4 Prep: 30 mins Cook: 20 minutes Pair: 2025 Estate Semillon

Summertime and the living is easy, especially when you’ve got this Tuna Crudo dish to pair with our zesty, vibrant Estate Semillon.

Ingredients

500g tuna

1 mango

1 green chilli

Black sesame seeds

Pickled ginger

2 tbsp chives – chopped

Dressing

4 tbsp orange juice

2 tbsp lime juice

2 tbsp avocado oil

Method

1. Place tuna in the freezer for 30 minutes – this helps firm it up for slicing
2. Finely dice mango & green chilli and combine
3. Mix dressing ingredients together
4. Slice the tuna thinly
5. Place tuna on a plate, top with mango mixture, drizzle with dressing and top with chives, ginger & black sesame seeds

Essential Tools

• Chef knives
• Chopping board
• Mixing bowl x 2
• Weighing/measuring utensils

Tips/Tricks

• Use a sharp, knife to cut the tuna. Clean the knife in between cuts to get a smoother cut
• You can prepare the sliced tuna in advance – put it on a plate and wrap tightly in cling film
• Can’t get tuna? You can substitute white fish like snapper or kingfish

Wines that would also pair perfectly with this recipe include:

The Hunter Valley, Australia’s oldest wine region, is synonymous with semillon. This classic French grape was first planted there in the 1830s, and was often called Hunter Valley Riesling or White Burgundy.

Global plantings of semillion are small and where it does appear in Europe (mainly Bordeaux) it’s usually blended with other white grapes. So the Hunter Valley is the international home of single varietal semillon wines. And what a diversity of styles there is. Here are a few of my favourites and the recipes I like to serve them with.

2023 Late Picked Semillon

This late-picked Hunter Valley semillon is like a mouth-filling fruit salad with citrus, tropical and stone fruit all getting a look in. There’s a nice zesty finish to balance out the sweetness and I love it with a frozen dessert such as creamy Philadelphia-style ice cream – I even drizzle a little over the top for an extra treat.

Philadelphia Style Ice Cream Recipe by Roberta Muir of Be Inspired Food Wine Travel

While classic French ice cream has a crème Anglaise egg custard base (see video below), quick and easy Philadelphia-style ice cream doesn’t contain egg. Sometimes called American ice cream or New York ice cream, Philly-style ice cream is simply flavoured cream churned into a frozen treat. Some people claim it’s lighter than custard-based ice cream, but I think it’s just different. When done right, both are creamy and delicious, but there’s no doubt Philadelphia-style ice cream is quicker. I often make it when I have syrup leftover from poaching fruit such as quinces. Especially with quinces, the syrup can absorb a lot of fruit flavour and it seems a shame to throw it out once the fruit’s been eaten. Without the eggs to stabilize and enrich it, Philadelphia-style ice cream risks being a bit icy and thin-tasting. That’s where my favourite ice cream making trick comes in, adding invert sugar to help prevent the mixture crystalizing as it freezes. I often use glucose syrup, but heating sucrose (common sugar) creates an invert sugar too, so the syrup that fruit has been poached in is invert. Philadelphia-style ice cream’s connection with the city of the same name is tenuous. Some say it’s merely an attempt at reflected glory, as the former American capital was once known for high quality foods. Others say desserts of cream, sugar and eggs beaten over ice until they had the consistency of soft-serve, were served at early presidential dinners there. If you don’t have any fruit poaching syrup handy use a flavoured syrup such as Crawley’s. Regardless of the flavouring, serve your Philadelphia-style ice cream with a glass of luscious dessert wine such as De Iuliis late-picked semillon from the Hunter Valley, and add a little splash of it over the ice cream too!

Discover the remarkable versatility of Hunter Valley Semillon with our exclusive six-pack. From crisp and youthful to rich and complex aged expressions, this collection showcases the unique character of this iconic variety.

Includes:

• 3 x 2024 Estate Range Semillon: Experience the quintessential Hunter Semillon: crisp acidity, zesty lemon and lime, and a refreshing dry finish. Perfect for summer sipping.
• 1 x 2023 Garden Vineyard Semillon: This single vineyard semillon is sourced for the alluvial river flats of the Garden Vineyard. Bright talc, jasmine flower and Meyer lemon greets your glass.
• 1 x 2019 Garden Vineyard Semillon: This vintage showcases the beginnings of Semillon’s remarkable transformation, with developing notes of lemongrass, lanolin, and a richer texture.
• 1 x 2007 Aged Release Semillon: A true testament to Hunter Semillon’s age-worthiness. Expect complex aromas of honey, toast, and a rich, layered palate. A rare treat!

Have we got some exciting news to uncork for you. We’ve been on an absolute winning streak, raking in awards faster than you can pour a glass of their finest drops. And guess what? We’re here to spill (or should we say, pour?) all the juicy details!

Hunter Valley Wine Show: Double the Trophies, Double the Cheers!

Can you hear the sweet sound of corks popping and glasses clinking. What’s the occasion? De Iuliis Wines has struck gold not once, but TWICE at the 2023 Hunter Valley Wine Show! Our 2023 Estate Rosé took home the Best Rosé of Show and our 2014 Limited Release Shiraz was awarded the Best Museum Shiraz of Show.

Sydney Royal Wine Show: One Trophy to Rule Them All

Hold onto your corkscrews, because the excitement doesn’t stop there. De Iuliis Wines waltzed into the 2023 Sydney Royal Wine Show and walked out with yet another shiny trophy to showcase our winemaking prowess. Our 2023 Single Vineyard Semillon won Best Current Vintage White Wine of Show!

De Iuliis Wines secured an impressive trophy at the 2023 Sydney Royal Wine Show for Best Current Vintage White of Show. This trophy was for their soon-to-be-released 2023 Single Vineyard Semillon and they also received two gold medals for their 2023 Estate Semillon and the 2022 De Iuliis Garden Vineyard Semillon. This recognition from such a prestigious event underscores the winery’s ability to consistently produce wines of unparalleled quality that captivate both the judges and wine enthusiasts alike.

With the 2024 Halliday Wine Companion results just released we are thrilled to maintain our 5 Red Star underlined status. This means we are considered an outstanding winery regularly producing wines of exemplary quality and typicity. The red underline means we have a long track record of excellence, having held a 5-star rating continuously for 10 years or more. According to the Wine Companion we are truly the best of the best!

The De Iuliis family acquired a property at Lovedale in ’86 and planted 18ha of vines in ’90, selling the grapes from the first few vintages to Tyrrell’s but retaining increasing amounts for release under the De Iuliis label. In ’99 the land on Broke Road was purchased and a winery and cellar door were built prior to the ’00 vintage. In ’11 De Iuliis purchased 12ha of the long-established Steven vineyard in Pokolbin. Winemaker Michael De Iuliis completed postgraduate studies in oenology at the Roseworthy campus of the University of Adelaide and was a Len Evans Tutorial scholar. He has lifted the quality of the wines into the highest echelon. – James Halliday

2021 Cabernet Sauvignon

97 Points

Mike De Iuliis is understandably enraptured by the ‘pristine’ fruit of a wine that’s a ‘fantastic expression of cabernet’ with an ‘exceptionally fine tannin structure.’ He ran out of space to praise the glorious colour the wine has. It’s one of those all-too-rare cabernets to be drinking well now, but with an outlook as long as you wish. Gorgeous bargain.

James Halliday

DRINK: 2023-2043

2017 Aged Release LDR Vineyard Shiraz

95 Points

2017 was the first of a trio of top-quality shiraz vintages in the Hunter Valley. This wine’s colour, bouquet and palate all say the same thing: it is full-bodied, rich, complex and moderately tannic. The balance, line and length are exemplary, but it demands no fewer than five more years, and will still be on an upwards trajectory in 25 years to come.

James Halliday

DRINK: 2021-2026

2021 Limited Release Chardonnay

95 Points 

This is a best barrel selection. Much lighter on its feet than the ’22 standard release: lovely juicy mid-palate; good line, length and balance, as the late Len Evans might have said. 250 dozen produced, and each bottle numbered.

James Halliday

DRINK: 2023-2029

2022 Single Vineyard Garden Semillon

95 Points

From the celebrated Garden vineyard; hand picked, whole-bunch pressed to tank before a slow, cool fermentation. Always comes up trumps, with the full range of lemon citrus, lanolin and acidity just so. It’s not sacrilegious to drink it now, but do keep a few bottles for five or so years.

JAMES HALLIDAY

2023-2032

2022 Special Release Shiraz Pinot

94 Points

The Hunter Valley provided the shiraz, Tumbarumba the pinot noir. The blend was made after each component had been finalised. Its light colour is clear and star-bright, so don’t think the wine lacks flavour or aroma, seemingly emanating from the pinot noir, cherry ex the shiraz.

James Halliday

DRINK: 2021-203

Harvesting

Grapes for our white wines are both hand and machine harvested. Hand-picking is gentle on the fruit and preserves the integrity of the bunches. Machine harvesting crushes the fruit slightly, breaking the skin of the grapes and releasing more phenolic material into the juice.

Preparing

White varieties are either destemmed before pressing or grapes are tipped directly into the press for whole bunch pressing. At De Iuliis we whole-bunch press our Semillon as the stalks provide drainage and preserve fruit purity. Chardonnay, Verdelho and Pecorino are all destemmed to allow light maceration with the skins, adding texture to the palate.

Pressing

Grapes are pressed using either our basket press or our pneumatic bag press. The pneumatic bag press uses an inflatable balloon-like bag to squeeze the grapes and extract the juice. The basket press uses pressure to give a very gentle extraction and we use it for our best parcels of Chardonnay.

Settling

After pressing the juice is settled in a cold tank to remove any suspended grape solids from the clear juice. Different varieties are fermented with different amounts of solids in the ferment. Semillon ferments will always have crystal clear juice to retain purity as opposed to Chardonnay where cloudy juice with a higher solids content will enhance the wine style.

Adding Yeast

Yeast converts sugars found naturally in grapes into alcohol, CO2 and heat. At De Iuliis we utilise ‘wild’ fermentation as well as inoculated ferments with cultured yeasts. Wild ferments are naturally occurring ferments started by the yeasts from the grape skins that arrive from the vineyard. They offer unique properties specific to the winery and the terroir of the vineyard. Cultured yeast ferments allow more control over the ferment and allow us to produce consistent wines year after year.

Fermentation

It takes between 7 and 14 days to ferment white wine. The wines are kept cool during ferment to preserve the delicate floral aromas and stop the yeasts from racing too quickly through ferment.

Blending

At this stage, the wines have been maturing both in tank and barrel and building depth and complexity. The winemaking team goes through a batch classification and barrel selection process to create single variety blends – this is how our Limited Release Chardonnay and Single Vineyard Semillon is made.

Clarification

To ensure our wines are protected from microbial spoilage and look beautiful in your glass we filter them with a crossflow membrane filter before they head off for bottling.

Bottling

It’s time to send our wines off to the bottling line! You’ll soon get to enjoy them.

What an incredible score of 96 points for our 2021 Single Vineyard Garden Semillon from Halliday Wine Companion. We don’t make our wine to please wine writers but when we get great scores like this it makes us beam with pride.

Here what James had to say about this wine:

The Garden vineyard is planted on the sandy flats of central Pokolbin, the grapes hand picked on January 22, and whole-bunch pressed to tank for a slow cool ferment. It’s a glorious semillon, unusually expressive for its age, both opulently rich and fruit-complex with Tahitian lime and Meyer lemon, backed by touches of nectarine.

You can read the entire review from Wine Companion here, and pick up our 96 point scoring 2021 Single Vineyard Semillon from our webstore here. 

Clive Hartley of Australian Wine Guide recently enjoyed our single vineyard 2021 The Garden Semillon. Read his thoughts below:

Subtle stony, minerally aromas. More floral and herbal with talc, camomile, lime leaves. On the palate the wine is dry and displays wet stone and strong green apple acidity. Powerful intense wine. So lean and racy. Built to age. Impressive single vineyard wine.

Rating: Highly Recommended

You can check out all of Australian Wine Guide reviews here.