When did you realise you wanted to become a winemaker?

In my early twenties I lived for travel. While I was backpacking, I worked in labouring and enjoyed the physical aspect of the job but missed using my brain. When I was stuck behind a desk, the trade-off meant all brain and no brawn. Everything changed in 2001 when I landed my first role in a winery in Margaret River. Here was a job that blended switched on thinking, physical exertion, and art to create something incredibly unique – I was hooked. After that, I have chased knowledge with the goal of making the best wines I can. Still a work in progress.

Please tell us about your career so far, including your education, work experience etc.

I’ve been lucky in my career to work under the tutelage of some winemaking greats such as Jim Chatto and Phil Ryan who ensured I was thoroughly grounded in the fundamentals of classical winemaking. Round that out with invaluable experience gained through friendly rivalry amidst contemporaries and mates, my career feels more like a lifestyle than a job. I’ve been exposed to varying winemaking techniques and growing styles working at Flying Fish, First Creek Wines, Pipers Brook, Mt Pleasant, Saddler’s Creek and for the past twelve years I’ve been a director and winemaker at Glandore Wines in the Hunter Valley.

What do you love most about being a winemaker?

I love that no two days are the same. Sure, the weather and demands of being a farmer keeps us on our toes, but there’s an electricity when you know the fruit that has just come in – it’s something special. Working long hours with both of my children during numerous vintages and watching my son head overseas to follow his winemaking path is very humbling. Crushing bin after bin of chardonnay at 3am this year with just my daughter, barely staying on top of things, as fruit came thick and fast was something that I won’t forget any time soon. You know you are alive at those times.

What is your favourite wine, and what food do you typically pair it with?

Côte Rôtie and Barbaresco are close for first place. My tribute to Côte Rôtie is the 2019 Ginger Rose Shiraz Viognier that is named after my daughter. It’s complex and lively. Our Nebbiolo harks to Barbaresco and luckily for me I have an Italian neighbour that loves to hunt with his bow. He drops me off venison on a regular occasion which I love matching with either of those wines.

Is there a specific process you follow when developing a new wine?

I don’t follow a process or plan. We keep style in mind but the most important thing I can do is be open to input! We listen to what our growers tell us, what our wine lovers want but we always respect the fruit. We let the unique flavours of the fruit speak to a style we feel our wine drinkers are looking for. The fantastic thing about being a small winery is that we can duck, weave and pivot quickly to new styles and varieties while staying true to our core range.

Having said that, there are certain wines we always make to style. Our Hamish Shiraz is a much-loved wine and while you can never make it the same, we must look to the past to move forward. Or we might have a riot on hands amongst our Club members.

Is there any vintage you’re particularly proud of creating? Why?

The 2017 vintage was a fantastic year. We learned some lessons in patience from 2014, and with the extra time on the vines after a fairly wet 2016, we were able to produce reds in 2017 of great structure with excellent cellaring potential. It was the first of three drought years before the bushfires of 2020 and sits in the shadow of 2018 and 2019 a little bit. We secured some special parcels of fruit that year which were made into some exceptional single vineyard wines.