WINEMAKER PROFILE
from The Australian & New Zealand Grapegrower & Winemaker
August 2004
Position: Managing director, Orange Mountain Wines, Orange, New South Wales. (Boutique producer with under 5ha under vine and less than 20-tonne crush).
Professional qualifications: Certificates in business, wine marketing, grapegrowing, winemaking and wine appreciation.
Professional experience: I have spent seven years establishing my own vineyard and winery operation and working in other vineyards in the Orange region.
Which wine do you enjoy making the most and why?
I most enjoy making the Shiraz/Viognier blend and I would say that is my flagship wine. I have had a lot of fun playing around with different amounts of Viognier in the blend and with different oak. I will be using a lot more new French oak and more Viognier in the 2004 blend.
What main varieties do you think the Orange region will be known for over the coming years?
Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Merlot.
Describe your most magical wine-tasting experience.
For my 30th birthday my wife and I flew to Adelaide for a four day weekend of wine and food. We went to Clare, McLaren Vale and the Barossa. It was great.
Can you recall an unconventional yet successful food and wine match you've tasted?
I once shared a bottle of Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon, '86 I think, with friends and we had it with take-away Thai. It worked for me.
What non-traditional varieties interest you and why?
Viognier is my biggest planting and I would like it to become my biggest wine-style produced. The variety is very challenging to grow and yet so intriguing. I have to say that I am both fascinated and obsessed with Viognier because it is so challenging both viticulturally and from a winemaking perspective.
In a boutique operation such as Orange Mountain Wines, how do you balance the workload between winery and vineyard, in addition to marketing and managing the business?
Making wine, operating a vineyard and selling your product is certainly full-on. Jul's, my wife, gives me plenty of help; friends and family too - thanks guys. I think there is a lot of opportunity for small wine producers due to an ever more educated wine consumer who is looking for wines and styles that are unique and interesting. As to balancing the roles I tend to be reactive and just get in and do what needs to be done at the time. Sure I have plan. You have to have a plan, but it's not fixed in concrete. At the moment I'm pressing off the reds, then it will be time to go out and sell last year's reds, then it will be time to prune, then it will be time to ...
The Orange wine region is embarking on some interesting regional marketing initiatives and strategies. Is Orange Mountain Wines involved in these?
We get involved in as many marketing initiatives and strategies as possible. I think the most important issue is to strengthen regionality ie. Brand Orange. The more recognition Orange gets through its wines, foods, accommodation and the like, then the more Orange Mountain Wines and all other tourism industries will benefit. Orange and the surrounding region has absolutely huge potential as a tourism destination and is only just beginning to realise that potential.
When you're not making wine, what do you like to do?
Grow Viognier grapevines - I really do enjoy it.
If money was no object, where in the world would you choose to set up a vineyard and winery?
I spent a lot of time thinking about this question and I have to say Orange. It's exciting, new and oozes potential. Besides that I wouldn't have to move. I hate moving.
The world is about to flood and a specially-designed temperature-controlled ark is being built to preserve the world's best wines. You've been asked to recommend a red and a white for the ark, but you are not permitted to select from your own wines. What do you choose?
1998 Guigal La Ladonne - Cote Rotie, 2000 Coteau De Vernon - Condrieu.
What do you like to drink when socialising (wine or otherwise).
Beer - my brother-in-law makes the best home brew which is very handy and he always has about seven different styles on hand. From lager to stout - it's the drink for me.
If you weren't a winemaker, what other profession would interest you?
Grapegrower, of course, as it does interest me.
Pet hates?
Fungal diseases.
Briefly describe how your winery is fighting the increasing competition for retail shelf space and brand awareness.
Differentiation by producing different wine styles that reflect the uniqueness of the Orange and surrounding areas.
What is it that you admire most about the Australian wine industry?
The industry's drive and passion.
Which areas of current Australian wine research do you find has most benefit in your winemaking operations? Is there an area of wine research towards which you would like to see more R & D resources directed?
I would like to see more R & D into the reduction of TCA that leads to cork taint. I know there is plenty of R & D into various closures but there has to be a way of eradicting or considerably reducing the incidence of TCA. Although I use screw caps for my whites I would like to stay with premium cork closures for my reds.
What is the best piece of advice you could offer a person in their last year of winemaking study?
Dare to be different.
Are there mentors, or people in the wine industry who have particularly inspired you?
Tony Hewitt, Rex Daquino and John Hordern.
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