Ian Peterson, a pharmacist, his wife Shirley and son Colin purchased an old dairy farm at Mount View in the Lower Hunter Valley in 1964, with the intention of raising cattle. In 1971 ten acres if Semillon were planted to supply the nearby McWilliams winery. This was the beginning of a very successful vineyard on the rich soils of Mount View.

In 1980, 30 acres of vines had been planted, consisting of Semillon, Chardonnay, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir. In 1981, the decision was made to produce two wines, Chardonnay and Shiraz (Hermitage) which were made in the very small gentrified dairy on the property.

The family enlisted the help of a young cellar hand, Gary Reed to assist in the winemaking process. Gary has now been Petersons' chief winemaker for 30 years. His passion for Chardonnay has lead to a very special release of a wine named GKR.

The cellar door sales area at Mount View was opened in October 1981. The first release of wines also brought the first of many wine awards and medals. The vineyard has since been planted out to 40 acres with new plantings of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Viognier.

Realising the potential success of the region (particularly for red varieties) Petersons Glenesk Estate at Mudgee was established in 1996. The cellar door followed not long after. With Jamie Hudson at the helm of the Mudgee operation, success wasnt too far off. Petersons have now won the Most Outstanding Wine of Show two years running. Jamie has now also had a wine named after him.

Petersons have also now pioneered Armidale as a grape growing region. Its cooler climate is perfectly suited to the leaner fashionable cooler climate varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Pinot Noir. The Guesthouse at Armidale has also been lovingly restored and well worth the visit.

Ian Peterson also saw the value in starting Peterson Champagne House in order to produce premium sparkling wines without the added hassle of sending them away to South Australia. Peterson House is still the only producer of Sparkling Wines in the Hunter Valley. They are also the only producers using Methode Champenoise on the East Coast of Australia. The Peterson family are still the major shareholders in the operation.

In 2001, Petersons were awarded Australian Champion Small Winery. Recent awards have been Best Sweet Wine of NSW for our 2004 Botrytis Semillon and Best Sweet International wine held at the Riverina Wine Show. We have won the Best Mature Red of NSW twice and boast a number of trophies for differing varieties and styles (Viognier, Chardonnay, Petit Verdot, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon). 

Shirley, the family matriarch and grandmother is honoured on select years with special "Shirley" release whites (predominantly Chardonnay). "Ian's Selection's" have only ever been made twice in a decade. The traditon of naming the Ports after grandsons and Sparkling's after granddaughters has been kept alive by the naming of staff members.

Despite the recognised success of our wines, Petersons is still a very relaxed atmosphere, operated now by son, Colin Peterson who has maintained the importance of quality wines and friendly staff. Colin has also included the next generation of Peterson children in the operation, with the naming of Savannah Estate for his daughter.

In 2010, we celebrate 39 years of viticulture, and our 29th Anniversary of wine production.