Wellington & Wolfe
Hugh McCullough won a trip of a lifetime in early 2014. It turns out it wasn't just a cruisy month on holiday overseas. It set in motion a series of life-changing events that turned a part-time wine job into full-time obsession with Riesling and a career beyond academia. On the other side of the world.
McCullough is the Tasmanian winemaker behind Wellington & Wolfe, a small-scale venture he launched in 2017 with Natalie Fryar, the 'sparkling wine queen' who is now his wife and principal of Bellebonne Wines.
McCullough grew up near Oxford in the UK. He was bitten by the wine bug while studying Modern History at St Andrews University in Scotland. On completing his Master's degree, he managed to secure one of eight places in a South Australian Government-backed hospitality and tourism program called Mentor Me.
McCullough spent a month in the Barossa Valley, working with Yalumba Wines. At the conclusion of the program, he decided to remain in South Australia rather than return to the UK.
Over the next three years, a mix of hospitality and overseas vintage experiences led McCullough down a circuitous path. He ended up being alongside Fryar in her adopted home-town of Launceston.
Drawn to traditional German and Alsace Riesling during a short stint as a restaurant sommelier in the UK, McCullough has since become a Riesling specialist. He revels in the classic cool-climate styles that can be produced from the variety in Tasmania.
McCullough's inaugural release under the Wellington & Wolfe label was made from just over a tonne of fruit from Pipers Brook. It was processed manually, using a basket press and foot treading. Low-tech, Old World methodology. Techniques that seek to emphasise the weight and texture of the aromatic styles that McCullough enjoys making and drinking.
The label Wellington & Wolfe references McCullough's boyhood passion for 18th century military history. Arthur Wellesley (the Duke of Wellington) and James Wolfe were two of the British Army's most celebrated generals.
Today, McCullough sources fruit from growers in the Tamar Valley as well as the North East. Sites underpinned by Tasmania's patchwork quilt of Jurassic dolerite, Tertiary basalt and Permian/Triassic sedimentary soils.
Small-batch products in the Wellington & Wolfe portfolio now include a single regional style – from the Tamar Valley – as well as an off-dry, super premium wine labelled Eylandt Reserve Riesling.
The outstanding 2024 vintage introduced a further wine, in the form of the Noord Reserve Riesling. An elite product (600 bottles) brought to life with the sensitively handled use of lees-ageing in puncheon.
In 2020, McCullough created a second label – Wolfe at the Door – to facilitate his work with 'supporting varietals' such as Pinot Gris, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir.
The move proved a significant milestone for the self-effacing Riesling 'nerd.' In 2020, McCullough was named a finalist in Australia's Young Gun of Wine.
The 2024 edition of the best-selling Halliday Wine Companion saw Wellington & Wolfe achieve a 5-star winery rating. 'A talented newcomer to watch,' added the editorial team.
The opening of the Evenfall cellar door in 2023 now provides followers of McCullough's Tasmanian exploits with a readily accessible venue in which to taste and buy wines from this 'talented newcomer.'
The vibrant and welcoming tasting room is just 15 minutes from Launceston.
It showcases the full range of Evenfall, Bellebonne and Wellington & Wolfe wines. Vineyard and winery tours, barrel tastings and curated food pairings are a piece of cake for this highly-skilled and professional Tamar Valley operation.
Key details:
Hugh McCullough: owner/winemaker
Vineyard/cellar door address:
Evenfall, 2 Upper McEwans Rd, Legana TAS 7277
Telephone:
- Hugh McCullough: +61 (0) 474 425 527
- Evenfall: +61 (3) 6724 3726
Email:
- Wellington & Wolfe: wellingtonandwolfe@gmail.com
- Evenfall: info@evenfallwinery.com
Website:
www.wellingtonwolfe.com
Tasmanian viticulture takes place within a diverse mix of soil types and microclimates.
Growing conditions in the Tamar Valley fall under the moderating influence of the river itself. Consider: Eversley Vines (MJT 17.7°C; 1065 GDD) and Evenfall (MJT 18.4°C; 1230 GDD). Coolest vs warmest sites.
Vineyard sites on the Australian mainland are far warmer than those in Tasmania.
South Australia's Piccadilly Valley* (MJT 20.4°C; 1730 GDD) and Macedon Ranges* (MJT 19.9°C; 1365 GDD) in Victoria are regarded as the coolest GIs in their respective states.
Climate data* for Pipers Brook Road, 1995-2024:
- Total annual average rainfall: 797mm
- Growing season average rainfall (Oct 1-Apr 30): 370mm
- Average autumn rainfall: 185mm
- Mean January temperature: 18.1°C
- Growing degree-days: 1213 GDD
- Average no of hot days (35°C or more) per year: 0
- Average no of cold days (minimum 4°C or less) Sept 1-April 30: 9
Climate data* for Rosevears Drive, 1995-2024:
- Total annual average rainfall: 848mm
- Growing season average rainfall (Oct 1-Apr 30): 387mm
- Average autumn rainfall: 186mm
- Mean January temperature: 17.5°C
- Growing degree-days: 1030 GDD
- Average no of hot days (35°C or more) per year: 0
- Average no of cold days (minimum 4°C or less) Sept 1-April 30: 28
*Source: My Climate View, utilising past data from the Bureau of Meteorology and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. Funded by the Australian Government.
Last page update: January 2026