This is just a snap shot of a few of my favourite wine makers. For more, grab a copy of Good Wine Bad Language Great Vineyards, either the Kiwi or Australia edition… if you love wine, you’ll dig these books.
new zealand wines
tim preston
winemaker
Inspired by his father Paddy’s life-long passion for winemaking, Tim Preston followed in his footsteps and became an award-winning winemaker himself, co- founding Mills Reef with his father in 1989. It didn’t take long for their winery to become one of New Zealand’s most lauded – and for them to become one of its most celebrated winemaking teams.
www.millsreef.co.nz |
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alan limmer
founder + winemaker
After a series of “undrinkable fermentation experiments” while he was at school, and graduating with a Doctorate in Earth Sciences and Chemistry, Alan Limmer found himself in Hawke’s Bay managing an analytical chemistry facility with links to the fledgling wine industry. It wasn’t long before he wanted to make wine too – which led to seven long years without a holiday – and including the odd cyclone! – working at the lab during the day and planting and building the winery at night.
www.stonecroft.co.nz |
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andrew hedley
winemaker
Originally from Gateshead in the north of England, Andrew Hedley was offered the lab manager’s job at Rapaura Vintners over the phone at very short notice – John Belsham, the owner, called him the day before Christmas Eve 1997, and he moved down under to start work on the 6th of January! Becoming Framingham’s winemaker in 2002, his love of the new is reflected in his continual drive for innovation in Framingham’s range of aromatic wines, trying new methods and varietals in ways that surprise, rather than shock – although you could say his family was a bit more than shocked when he moved across the world to pursue his dream.
www.framingham.co.nz |
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dan and sarah-kate dineen
owner/winemaker
Although most of us probably spend too much time in the uni bar, usually only leading to hangovers and regrets, for Dan and Sarah-Kate Dineen, it led to winemaking. While Dan was a “failed architecture student who stumbled across the … winery down the road” in his hometown of Adelaide, SK (as everybody calls her) initially followed in her father’s footsteps, studying medicine before falling into her vigneron grandfather’s footsteps and becoming a winemaker. Meeting at Brokenwood Winery in Australia’s Hunter Valley in 1997, they found “love in the lees.” Awwww.
www.maudewines.com |
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mike just
winemaker
A direct descendant of the legendary King Edward III of England and his son, the Black Prince, Michael Edward Just is not “just” any winemaker. How many winemakers have a full suit of armour in the closet and are building a castle on their property?
A passion for family history – and home brewing! – led Mike to Germany, where he learnt German, winemaking, and the art of jousting. Medieval sword fighting and tournaments became a way of life – as well as learning how to tame the mercurial Pinot grape.
www.clayridge.net.nz |
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australian wines
pj charteris
winemaker
Boundless energy and enthusiasm surrounds Brokenwood’s Winemaker. Born in New Zealand, PJ was an early convert to the magic of vines; he started pruning in 1981, aged 13, at Vilagrad Winery in Waikato, New Zealand and hasn’t stopped since!
As a winemaker PJ’s philosophy has been the need to constantly challenge himself and search for new techniques in winemaking styles. Hence, after graduating from Roseworthy University of Adelaide, PJ enjoyed a global education by working in famous wine regions throughout the world. He joined Brokenwood in 1999 and hasn’t looked back, now happily settled in the Hunter Valley and enjoying Brokenwood’s company policy of ‘making great wine and having fun’. Beneath this guys rugged rock star-like exterior lies the heart of a dedicated winemaker who enjoys the simple pleasures in life. PJ is always on the lookout for a good wave and will never turn down a game of “bung cricket”.
www.brokenwood.com.au |
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mark davidson
managing director and chief winemaker
Mark was born in Sydney, and enjoyed his job as a Psychologist. However, he’d always had a yearning for big open spaces with big trees. Wine had captured his imagination - and winemakers worked in big open spaces! So, Mark used his guile to slip away from work to pursue his growing interest in winemaking; this led to the purchase of the boutique Tamburlaine Winery in the Hunter Valley. “From little things big things grow…” and being a practical kind of guy, Mark began to question modern farming methods, reasoning that “little things” will grow “bigger” and better out of naturally fertile soils. Mark is a passionate advocate of organic farming practices, and the proof is in the “organic pudding” - he and Tamburlaine share the accolades of ‘Hunter Vigneron of the Year’, ‘NSW Tourism Winery of the Year’, ‘Hunter Small Business of the Year’, ‘Australia Post NSW Small Business: Innovation and Technology Award’, and received a huge wooden-carved egrit trophy for the ‘Environmental Achievement Award 2003, Hunter Region’.
www.tamberlain.com.au |
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andrew margan
winemaker
Andrew Margan was born into the wine industry and raised in the Hunter Valley. While the other kids dreamt of growing up to be Policemen or Firemen, Andrew’s dream was to be a Hunter Valley winegrower. Although he completed two degrees (Agricultural and Environmental Science), his most important learning came via a ‘hands-on’ apprenticeship at Tyrrell’s Wines under the late great Murray Tyrrell. Andrew then hightailed it to Europe, where he worked as a ‘flying winemaker’ throughout France, Hungary and ex-Soviet Moldova. Although - at times - the work was “hellish” (Moldova in particular), it was another influential experience that prepared Andrew for the massive undertaking of going out on his own. Nowadays, any chance to hit the surf while keeping one eye on the proverbial wine ball, sort of sums up Andrew.
www.margan.com |
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phillip casella
winemaker
With a rich family history that begins in post-war Sicily and continues to unfold in Australia, Phillip Casella grew up with the winery as his playground. From a very young age, he experienced the ‘wonders’ of vintage. The seed was planted while watching his family take on all aspects of grape growing and winemaking. Fruition was reached in 1999, when he completed his Bachelor of Applied Science in Winemaking at Charles Sturt University. The consistently clean and fruity nature of Yellow Tail wines can be largely attributed to the young winemaker’s appreciation of the balance between science and art. As he lives out his life’s dream of coming home to work for the family business, the only thing that revs Phillip’s engine as much as making wine is anything that goes ‘Broooom’! When he’s not busy globetrotting or nurturing new vines, Phillip enjoys clinking a Corona or two with family and friends.
www.yellowtailwine.com |
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allister ashmead
director/assistant winemaker/marketing manager
cameron ashmead - director
It wasn’t long before Allister realised that his life’s dream of becoming a professional tennis player was no match for his love of good food and wine! Rather than drowning his sorrows, Allister embraced his passion by teaming up with his brother Cameron, who decided to leave his career in corporate finance. Together, the two came home to continue the legacy of their parent’s winery. Allister works in the cellar and spreads the Elderton word abroad with Cameron. Cameron also manages the day to day running of the business (that is to say when he's not busy trying to convince his mates that multiple vodka shots are a good idea!) The success of Elderton Wines is not only a tribute to a great family effort, but to the brothers’ pride in the business and the region. The two are fast becoming an unstoppable force within the Australian wine industry.
www.eldertonwines.com.au |
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rob ‘gibbo’ gibson
owner, winemaker & ‘dirt doctor’
At school, the vocational guidance advisor told Rob Gibson that he would either make a great geologist or a great vet. As Rob puts, he chose geology over sticking his hand up a cow’s ass! And so, ‘Gibbo’ set about his winemaking career from the ground up. After studying Geology in Melbourne, his interest was sparked during a 1974 working holiday at Penfolds in New Zealand. Through the three decades of experience that followed with the Australian wine industry’s elite, Rob formulated new viticulture projects and systems that were aimed at producing the very best Shiraz and Merlot. He set up the Technical Viticulture Department in 1992 and launched his consultancy business, ‘Gibson’s Winegrowing Service’, in 1998. At nearly 2 metres tall, Rob’s jolly demeanour and magnetic personality have infected his entire family; they all work alongside him at the winery! He really is one of the Barossa Valley’s most captivating characters.
www.gibsonwines.com.au |
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brian lynn
administrator & “cheque writer”!
For Brian Lynn, aka Prof, wine is just a good drink; “we need to learn to just drink wine for the fun of it and stop being so bloody serious about it!” In 1968, he decided to plant a vineyard on his family's property, which had originally been used for Merino wool production. From those first six acres of Shiraz grew the impressive 150 acres that continues to thrive on the Majella property. Brian and his brother Tony now own the vineyard and have been working together ever since. Brian is ‘the noisy one’ and is usually spotted around the Majella offices sporting jeans and a t-shirt and playing his beloved tin whistle. As a self-confessed food junkie, his recipe for success can be coaxed out by close mates over a bottle of Sparking Shiraz and a good curry!
www.majellawines.com.au |
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dru reschke
vigneron
The Reschke family have been on the Koonara property for around 100 years, so it was a “no-brainer” that Dru would find himself working in wine. However, his love of wine certainly wasn’t inspired by spending his school holidays pruning, weeding and putting in dripper systems (although that's pretty much what he does now). It came from his father, Trevor, who’d slide a red across the dinner table to his son and say, “Here. Taste this.” Admittedly, Dru’s first ambitions leaned towards becoming a ‘Rock Star’, and he flaunted some pretty “fly” ‘air-guitar’ as a teenager. Dru then tried something a little different… ‘African Black Rhino Safari Tour Guide’. He’d scare the bum-bags off clients by walking straight up to one of the Rhinos (the oldest one on the reserve, who could barely run). Turning back to the group, through a puff of dust, Dru would watch the tourists scramble back into the Jeep. You know what they say: “You can take the boy out of Australia…”
www.koonara.com |
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