Meet the Winemakers

Behind every great wine is a team of expert viticulturists and winemakers striving to maintain the standards of the label they represent.  Each region and vineyard site presents myriad challenges and, every vintage, sleepless nights and 16 hour days are just another day in the office for Australia’s winemakers.

The Hunter Valley, New South Wales

The Hunter Valley is Australia’s oldest wine region and still its most popular, largely due to its proximity to Sydney, just under two hours by car, and the multitude of cellar doors.  The Hunter region is famous for the production of premium Australian wines, in particular Semillon and Shiraz.

Audrey Wilkinson

The famous Audrey Wilkinson Vineyard was first planted in 1866 making it one of the oldest vineyard sites in Australia.

The vineyard has seven different soil types that lend themselves to the production of both red and white grapes.  Varieties planted on this site include Semillon, Chardonnay, Verdelho, Gewurztraminer, Shiraz, Malbec and Tempranillo. 

Jeff Byrne, is the Chief Winemaker for Agnew Wines.  For the past eight years he has been responsible for creating delicious Hunter Valley wines for Audrey Wilkinson, Cockfighter’s Ghost & Poole’s Rock.

Jeff takes great pride in the production of premium Hunter Valley wines, in particular the famous Hunter Semillon.  “They are a very light, clean style of wine rarely duplicated anywhere else in the world and will reward those patient enough to cellar these wines for 10 or more years.”

Last year marked the 150^th vintage for Audrey Wilkinson and, despite being one of the toughest in terms of rainfall, according to Jeff the results are looking very promising.   “My highlights this year are undoubtedly the Semillons and Chardonnays. Both are looking terrific with the Semillons just being bottled and the Chardonnays scheduled for bottling in October.”

So what does Jeff like to drink, and what with? 

“I love to drink Pinot Noir, they can come from very different regions around the world and in many different forms with the best ones having layers of complexity. Pinot is great with lots of different dishes, but perfect with duck.”

Central Ranges, New South Wales

Once one of Australia’s best-kept secrets, the NSW Central Ranges is now widely recognized and sought out by wine enthusiasts and tourists alike.  More and more people are travelling to the beautiful rural towns of Orange and Mudgee to experience some of Australia’s finest cool climate wines.

Located on the north and west slopes of the Great Dividing Range, Orange is the highest wine region in Australia. Its altitude, cool weather and rich volcanic soils combine to produce elegant wines with delicacy and depth.  Mudgee is one of Australia’s oldest wine regions and the birthplace of Australian Chardonnay. 

Logan Wines

Logan’s vineyards and tasting room in Mudgee are located in the picturesque Apple Tree Flat. This beautiful area benefits from rich volcanic soil laced with quartz, ideal for the production of wines with great depth and character.  In Orange, Logan’s vineyards sit at altitudes ranging from 850 to 1,050 metres above sea level.   These are some of the highest vineyards in Australia and the climate enables Logan to produce, in owner and winemaker Peter Logan’s words, “food friendly wines with delicacy and depth”. 

Peter Logan started Logan Wines with his late father Mal in 1997.  Having considered a career as a musician, Peter soon realized his true passion was science.  A career as a winemaker eventuated when Peter’s father began to express an interest in wine and they decided to embark on this exciting project together.  

Since the launch of Logan, Peter has experimented with various wine styles and honed his craft as a winemaker, taking advantage of the diverse climatic conditions of this unique part of the world.  While loving the character of rich fruit in Australian wines, Peter also admires the style and balance of old world wines. His winemaking philosophy is “a hybrid of the two styles – wines with Australian fresh fruit flavours and European structure and finesse.”  

Peter and his wife Hannah now run Logan together, Peter manages the winemaking while Hannah acts as General Manager, looking after everything from the wine labels to the award winning cellar door.

Yarra Valley, Victoria

The Yarra Valley is the name given to the upper regions surrounding the Yarra River, approximately one hour north east of Melbourne.  De Bortoli Yarra Valley Estate is an award-winning maker of premium wines located in the magnificent Yarra Valley, only one hour north east of Melbourne.  The renowned Yarra Valley wine region is home to a number of well known Australian wineries and the area's relatively cool climate makes it particularly suited to the production of excellent Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and sparkling wine.

De Bortoli Wines

Home to some of the oldest plantings in the Yarra Valley, some of which date back to 1971, De Bortoli Yarra Valley is managed by Leanne De Bortoli and her husband, Stephen Webber, or Steve, who is also the chief winemaker. It has been awarded numerous tourism awards and an international sustainability award.

For Stephen, winemaking was a career he simply “fell into”. After finishing high school his father suggested he give the wine business a try and organised a job for him in the Barossa Valley.  After a few years developing his skills as a winemaker in the Barossa, where he met Leanne, Steve was ready to undertake the role of Chief Winemaker at De Bortoli’s, then newly acquired, winery in the Yarra Valley where he and Leanne would share responsibility for management of the Estate.  Both Steve and Leanne fell in love with the Yarra Valley, in particular “the beauty, the climate, the seasons, the proximity to Melbourne” and have built a life for themselves and their children in this beautiful region.

When it comes to enjoying wine, Steve offers simple advice “"Drink what you enjoy. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to find an interesting bottle."

Mornington Peninsula, Victoria

Victoria’s breathtaking Mornington Peninsula is just under an hour south of Melbourne is surrounded on three sides by water, providing the region with a cool maritime climate ideally suited to producing complex cool climate wines such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.  Located on the eastern side of Port Phillip Bay, the peninsula is also famous for its seaside villages, world-class golf courses, spa retreats and local produce. 

Montalto Vineyard and Olive Grove is located in the heart of the Mornington Peninsula and the ethos of locally sourced seasonal produce is at the core of this highly successful winery, cellar door and restaurant.

Simon Black has been Chief Winemaker at Montalto since 2009.  A job he is incredibly passionate about.  "A number of things are really important to me; my family and friends, travel, music and nature.  And, of course, wine.  It’s an integral part of my life."

Simon grew up immersed in the culture of food and wine. “Creating something from raw ingredients appealed to me enormously and as I entered my teenage years, wine became an integral part of this fascination. The endless possibilities to create flavours and textures on a balanced framework seemed an opportunity too good to pass up.”  It was this fascination with the flavour and texture of wine that led Simon to transfer his studies from Sports Science to Oenology and eventually embark on a career as a winemaker.

For seven highly successful vintages Simon has created wines of superior intensity, complexity and balance, always striving for improvement and eager to evolve his winemaking through the use of innovative practices.   The life of a winemaker, while romantic, comes with the stress of maintaining high standards in an unpredictable environment.   So how to relax?  In Simon’s case it is the discovery of new tastes and flavours that inspire him.  “With so many regions, varieties, vintages and styles, it is the undiscovered wine that drives me most to my next bottle.

McLaren Vale, South Australia

Located between the Mount Lofty Ranges and white sandy beaches of the South Australian coast, the picturesque region of McLaren Vale is a haven of green countryside, rugged coastline and charming villages.  The diverse climate of McLaren vale is impacted by the proximity of the ocean so various grape varieties flourish in different locations within the region.

As well as exceptional wine, the region is known for the remarkable local produce and warm hospitality visitors experience when they visit.

d’Arenberg

In 1912 Joseph Osborn established d’Arenberg, one of the most significant wineries in McLaren Vale.  d’Arenberg natural and environmentally friendly philosophy is maintained throughout the business and minimal input viticulture is employed across d’Arenberg’s vineyards to ensure grape quality and environmental responsibility. 

Fourth generation winemaker Chester Osborn joined the business in 1984 as Chief Winemaker.  Chester has forged a reputation for producing strikingly individual wines and melding tradition and innovation.   Having grown up on the d’Arenberg property, spending school holidays working in the vineyards and cellar floor, a career in winemaking was a natural progression.   

In 1983, Chester graduated with a Bachelor of Applied Sciences in Oenology and took over the reins as Chief Winemaker at d’Arenberg, rejuvenating the old cellars and vineyards as well as managing all aspects of winemaking, viticulture and marketing.   Chester is passionate about discovering new varieties that suit the diverse terroir and maritime climate of McLaren Vale.

d'Arenberg is the only winery in Australia to basket press both white wines as well as reds, making for a labour intensive process, but the quality of the results makes this worthwhile as the action is controlled and extremely gentle.

Chester and the winemaking team undertake an extensive barrel tasting process to determine the final blend. There is no racking until the final blending, and the wines do not undertake fining or filtration prior to bottling.

In 2012 he and his father, d’Arry Osborn, celebrated 100 years of family winemaking and grape growing in McLaren Vale.

Barossa Valley, South Australia

The Barossa’s winemaking and grape growing heritage dates back to 1842, when the first vines were planted by European immigrants. These early settlers left a distinctive legacy in the food and wine traditions as well as the architecture of the region. Today the region is home to a wealth of revered wine makers, some of the world’s oldest vines, and a thriving community of artisan food producers.

Jacob’s Creek

Jacob’s Creek is one of Australia’s leading wine brands, offering quality contemporary Australian wine styles with great varietal expression. The brand was first launched in 1976 and is named after the Creek that runs through the Barossa Ranges in the Barossa Valley.  Nick Bruer is the Winemaking Planning Manager at Jacob's Creek's Rowland Flat winery.   

Growing up Nick was inspired by his parents’ keen interest in wine and accompanied them on visits to countless cellar doors across South Australia. Later, it was “a love of food and wine, a love of food and wine chemistry, and a love of the ‘chemistry’ that is created between food and wine” that inspired him to take up a career in winemaking.

After many years working at the coalface of one of the world’s biggest wine brands, what wine is Nick proudest of?

“Jacob’s Creek Reserve Shiraz: I came on board with Jacob’s Creek very shortly after the launch of the Reserve range, and although I wasn’t there for the first vintage, I’ve been part of an enormous team effort to grow and make this wine since the early days. It’s very satisfying to be involved with a successful wine which continues to deliver great quality drinking at an affordable price, and which is accessible all around the world.”

Tasmania

Australia’s island state produces elegant cool climate wines at around 200 smaller vineyards and wineries.  Tasmania is renowned for its Chardonnay and Pinot Noir but is increasingly becoming known for the quality of its exceptional sparkling wine.

Tasmania is a paradise of unique food and wine experiences thanks to its pristine water, pure air and the skill of its passionate producers.  As well as its incredible wines, the island produces world-class cheeses, premium beef, honey, and some of Australia's best boutique beers.

Tasmania has seven wine growing areas - in the north the Tamar Valley and the North East areas in the north, the East Coast, the North West and the Derwent Valley, Coal River Valley and Huon/Channel areas in the south.

Josef Chromy

Located a short drive from Launceston and set amongst beautiful English gardens, Josef Chromy Wines is an idyllic location for this acclaimed winery.  The cellar door is housed in the original 1880s homestead.  Josef Chromy’s celebrated range includes sparkling, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Botrytis Riesling and a Ruby Pinot Port.

Josef Chromy ‘s state of the art winery houses some of the best winemaking equipment available.  The equipment was designed specifically to respect the delicate varietal flavors of the high quality, cool-climate Tasmanian fruit. 

Jeremy has been Chief Winemaker at Josef Chromy Wines since its inception in 2004. Previously he competed numerous vintages in Margaret River, McLaren Vale and Mitchelton in the Goulburn Valley.  Through numerous Tasmanian vintages, Jeremy has developed an intimate knowledge of Tasmanian viticulture and of the complexities associated with contract winemaking.   Jeremy is passionate about his craft and his home state of Tasmania, so he is ideally qualified for a seat on the Board of Wine Tasmania, a position he has enjoyed since the end of last year.

Moorilla

Moorilla shares a site with the infamous Museum of Old and New Art, or Mona, perched on a peninsula that juts into the Derwent River, 12 kilometres north of the city of Hobart, in the state’s south. 

Small quantities of highly regarded boutique cool-climate wines are produced on the estate where winemaking is overseen by Canadian-born Conor van der Reest. Since beginning his career on Ontario’s Niagara Peninsula, Conor has explored both the new and old worlds of wine in the Languedoc and Champagne regions, Marmara Sea, and Australia’s King, Hunter, Alpine and Yarra valleys.

In 2009, Moorilla presented Conor with the opportunity to shape the future of Moorilla by becoming involved with the rebuild of the winery.  Conor jumped at the offer and since then has worked tirelessly to produce wines that are a true reflection of Moorilla’s winemaking philosophy.

“In every process of production, we consider, feel and sense. We abide by the weather, nurture our soils, and hand-tend the vines—tasting fruit in various stages of development, and handpicking once prime. With patience, we wait, to achieve the perfect balance and harmony, learning as we go…”

Margaret River, Western Australia

Margaret River specialises in memorable regional cuisine and iconic scenery, where rolling vineyards sit against a backdrop of ocean and forest.

Margaret River is famous for its powerful yet elegant Cabernet Sauvignon as well as Chardonnay and Semillon Sauvignon blends. The region’s maritime climate and good soil produces consistently superior vintages that justify its reputation as one of the premium wine producing regions of the world.

Voyager Estate

With vineyards established in 1978, Voyager Estate in Margaret River is widely recognized as one of Australia’s great wineries.  From a strong foundation, the vineyard and winemaking team, led by Steve James, apply their craft and uncompromising passion to create elegant wines that celebrate the journey from grape to glass.

Steve James, has worked as Manager of Winemaking and Viticulture at Voyager Estate for eighteen years.  Steve regularly heads overseas to compare notes with his European and American counterparts.  Whether overseas or at home in Margaret River, he is dedicated to making wine that exemplifies its origins.  

Steve’s background is viticulture.  He is passionate about the transition of grape to wine and the ongoing evolution of the wine in the bottle.   “I really enjoy being a part of creating something beautiful and real for people to enjoy that shows the signature of our vineyard.”

Voyager Estate’s multi-award winning Chardonnay is a source of great pride for both Steve and his team.   Voyager Estate was one of the pioneers in producing the more restrained “modern” style Chardonnay and it was the 2002 Chardonnay that really put the winery on the map.  Under Steve’s guidance, the winemaking team continues to innovate, exploring clonal selection as well as site expression and winemaking techniques to evolve the Chardonnay portfolio.

Another famous Margaret River blend is Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot and this is Steve’s favourite.  “It is a really elegant expression of Cabernet Sauvignon from our sub-region with lots of dark cassis fruit, a nice savoury edge and fine lingering tannins. The wines also cellar really well and look incredible with 10 to 12 years of age.  I like to drink it with a nice roasted rack of lamb.”

Leeuwin Estate

Leeuwin Estate produces some of Australia's finest wines, consistently receiving acclaim across Australia and all over the world.  Tim Lovett is the Senior Winemaker at Leeuwin and takes great pride ensuring that vintage after vintage the quality of output is consistent.  

At Leeuwin the winemaking team led by Tim treat winemaking as an art as well as a science; the skills of the winemaker carefully combine with technology to produce wines of exceptional quality. Broadly following European winemaking techniques, Leeuwin is concentrating on achieving complexity, balance and longevity in its wines through a blend of modern and traditional methods. 

Temperature controlled stainless steel tanks, two Butcher pneumatic presses, and a cellar of imported French oak barrels are all utilised to ensure that the fruit is transformed into the intended style of wine.

“The adoption of meticulous and cohesive practices enable us to produce wines that are truly reflective of their site, they possess this distinctive personality; a remarkable purity that finely balances concentration with elegance.” 

Please contact us to bespoke your ultimate food & wine experiences in Australia. Email: travel@onlyluxe.com.au