It was mid-2000 in British Columbia, when a woman leading my Canadian tour group smugly dropped the ABC slur: “Anything But Chardonnay.” I was horrified. I love the libation, especially the rich buttery versions that have spent time on oak, and took unspoken umbrage at others who were nodding their agreement.

It wasn’t a new phrase then but one allegedly coined by The New York Times wine columnist, Frank J Prial in 1995. For years I have defended the drop to friends as they quaff their sauvignon blanc. So I was delighted to discover Winmark Wines, a vineyard and cellar door 100 per cent devoted to chardy.

“Nothing But Chardonnay” could be Winmark’s mantra, as it’s the only vineyard in the Hunter Valley, Australia’s oldest wine region, to go down the single-varietal road.

Owned by Danish-born Karin Adcock, who knew nothing about wine when she bought the property in 2016, Winmark (meaning “field of wine”) has had quite the journey. Originally known as Pooles Rock, it was owned for 40 years by former Macquarie Group chairman David Clarke, until his death in 2011.