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Olivia King – Cellar Door Management & Winery Events
Olivia has been part of the Victorian wine scene for over 10 years, starting out with a Bachelor of Environments from the University of Melbourne and now diving deeper into the world of wine through a Diploma in Viticulture. Most of her time is spent at the cellar door, sharing stories, wines, and the beauty of the region with visitors. She's especially passionate about sustainability and the unique character of Victorian wine.
When not talking wine, you’ll likely find Olivia directing, participating or volunteering with local theatre groups and helping bring stories to life; just ask her what her next project is!
Olivia King – Cellar Door Management & Winery Events
Olivia has been part of the Victorian wine scene for over 10 years, starting out with a Bachelor of Environments from the University of Melbourne and now diving deeper into the world of wine through a Diploma in Viticulture. Most of her time is spent at the cellar door, sharing stories, wines, and the beauty of the region with visitors. She's especially passionate about sustainability and the unique character of Victorian wine.
When not talking wine, you’ll likely find Olivia directing, participating or volunteering with local theatre groups and helping bring stories to life; just ask her what her next project is!
Olivia King – Cellar Door Management & Winery Events
Olivia has been part of the Victorian wine scene for over 10 years, starting out with a Bachelor of Environments from the University of Melbourne and now diving deeper into the world of wine through a Diploma in Viticulture. Most of her time is spent at the cellar door, sharing stories, wines, and the beauty of the region with visitors. She's especially passionate about sustainability and the unique character of Victorian wine.
When not talking wine, you’ll likely find Olivia directing, participating or volunteering with local theatre groups and helping bring stories to life; just ask her what her next project is!
Vin Harrop – Vineyard Manager
Vin’s world revolves around the great outdoors. Born and raised in Heathcote, he’s spent decades working in farming and viticulture —locally and across Australia — bringing an enormous depth of practical experience to his role at Tellurian.
As caretaker of 32 hectares of vineyard in Toolleen, Vin works closely with viticulturist Tim Brown to manage everything from pruning to harvest, with a sharp eye on vine health, seasonal rhythms, and long-term sustainability. With 11 different grape varieties under his watch — each ripening on its own cycle — no two days are ever the same.
He’s especially proud to work in an organically certified vineyard, helping push sustainable practices even further. From planting new blocks to nurturing the close-planted Shiraz site up on the ridge, Vin’s commitment is clear: grow better vines, make better wine, and do it in a way that respects the land.
When he’s not out amongst the vines, you’ll find him coaching one of his three sons’ local footy or basketball teams — or helping out on his dad’s farm in Axedale.
Vin Harrop – Vineyard Manager
Vin’s world revolves around the great outdoors. Born and raised in Heathcote, he’s spent decades working in farming and viticulture —locally and across Australia — bringing an enormous depth of practical experience to his role at Tellurian.
As caretaker of 32 hectares of vineyard in Toolleen, Vin works closely with viticulturist Tim Brown to manage everything from pruning to harvest, with a sharp eye on vine health, seasonal rhythms, and long-term sustainability. With 11 different grape varieties under his watch — each ripening on its own cycle — no two days are ever the same.
He’s especially proud to work in an organically certified vineyard, helping push sustainable practices even further. From planting new blocks to nurturing the close-planted Shiraz site up on the ridge, Vin’s commitment is clear: grow better vines, make better wine, and do it in a way that respects the land.
When he’s not out amongst the vines, you’ll find him coaching one of his three sons’ local footy or basketball teams — or helping out on his dad’s farm in Axedale.
Vin Harrop – Vineyard Manager
Vin’s world revolves around the great outdoors. Born and raised in Heathcote, he’s spent decades working in farming and viticulture —locally and across Australia — bringing an enormous depth of practical experience to his role at Tellurian.
As caretaker of 32 hectares of vineyard in Toolleen, Vin works closely with viticulturist Tim Brown to manage everything from pruning to harvest, with a sharp eye on vine health, seasonal rhythms, and long-term sustainability. With 11 different grape varieties under his watch — each ripening on its own cycle — no two days are ever the same.
He’s especially proud to work in an organically certified vineyard, helping push sustainable practices even further. From planting new blocks to nurturing the close-planted Shiraz site up on the ridge, Vin’s commitment is clear: grow better vines, make better wine, and do it in a way that respects the land.
When he’s not out amongst the vines, you’ll find him coaching one of his three sons’ local footy or basketball teams — or helping out on his dad’s farm in Axedale.
Martin Cox – Regional Sales
Martin joined Tellurian in 2020 as Regional Sales Manager and Brand Ambassador, bringing with him a love for hospitality, a sharp eye for wine trends, and a knack for building strong, lasting relationships. Whether introducing Tellurian wines to key distributors or pouring at an industry tasting, he brings warmth, knowledge, and enthusiasm to every interaction.
Before joining the team, Martin worked as a sommelier at The Woodhouse Restaurant, curating memorable wine lists and helping guests discover their next favourite bottle. Earlier roles at Balgownie Estate and The Honours by Martin Wishart in Edinburgh helped him refine both his wine knowledge and service finesse — from coordinating events to managing food and beverage programs across busy dining rooms.
Martin holds a WSET Level 3 certification and is particularly interested in how wine intersects with regional identity, innovation, and the ever-changing tastes of the market. He thrives on understanding what people love to drink — and why — and finds real satisfaction in connecting the right wine with the right audience.
Outside the wine world, Martin is a proud father of three boys, a committed sports fan, and someone who thrives on balancing the energy of family life with the pace of his career.
Martin Cox – Regional Sales
Martin joined Tellurian in 2020 as Regional Sales Manager and Brand Ambassador, bringing with him a love for hospitality, a sharp eye for wine trends, and a knack for building strong, lasting relationships. Whether introducing Tellurian wines to key distributors or pouring at an industry tasting, he brings warmth, knowledge, and enthusiasm to every interaction.
Before joining the team, Martin worked as a sommelier at The Woodhouse Restaurant, curating memorable wine lists and helping guests discover their next favourite bottle. Earlier roles at Balgownie Estate and The Honours by Martin Wishart in Edinburgh helped him refine both his wine knowledge and service finesse — from coordinating events to managing food and beverage programs across busy dining rooms.
Martin holds a WSET Level 3 certification and is particularly interested in how wine intersects with regional identity, innovation, and the ever-changing tastes of the market. He thrives on understanding what people love to drink — and why — and finds real satisfaction in connecting the right wine with the right audience.
Outside the wine world, Martin is a proud father of three boys, a committed sports fan, and someone who thrives on balancing the energy of family life with the pace of his career.
Martin Cox – Regional Sales
Martin joined Tellurian in 2020 as Regional Sales Manager and Brand Ambassador, bringing with him a love for hospitality, a sharp eye for wine trends, and a knack for building strong, lasting relationships. Whether introducing Tellurian wines to key distributors or pouring at an industry tasting, he brings warmth, knowledge, and enthusiasm to every interaction.
Before joining the team, Martin worked as a sommelier at The Woodhouse Restaurant, curating memorable wine lists and helping guests discover their next favourite bottle. Earlier roles at Balgownie Estate and The Honours by Martin Wishart in Edinburgh helped him refine both his wine knowledge and service finesse — from coordinating events to managing food and beverage programs across busy dining rooms.
Martin holds a WSET Level 3 certification and is particularly interested in how wine intersects with regional identity, innovation, and the ever-changing tastes of the market. He thrives on understanding what people love to drink — and why — and finds real satisfaction in connecting the right wine with the right audience.
Outside the wine world, Martin is a proud father of three boys, a committed sports fan, and someone who thrives on balancing the energy of family life with the pace of his career.
Matt Talbot – Sales & Marketing
Matt’s path into wine began straight after high school, studying viticulture and winemaking while working hands-on at Yeringberg. That early experience gave him more than just technical skills — it sparked a deep respect for the craft and a desire to understand every corner of the industry.
From the vineyard, he moved into wine retail and sommelier roles across Melbourne and Sydney before shifting into wholesale with Joval Wine Group. These years broadened his view of the Australian wine market and gave him valuable insight into how people buy, drink, and talk about wine.
Later roles in export and as a wine director added a global perspective, deepening his understanding of international markets, trade logistics, and the nuances of what different regions seek in a wine.
At Tellurian, Matt now represents the brand both locally and abroad — building relationships with passionate independent retailers across Australia and expanding our presence in the U.S. with a mix of enthusiasm, knowledge, and genuine love for the wines.
Matt Talbot – Sales & Marketing
Matt’s path into wine began straight after high school, studying viticulture and winemaking while working hands-on at Yeringberg. That early experience gave him more than just technical skills — it sparked a deep respect for the craft and a desire to understand every corner of the industry.
From the vineyard, he moved into wine retail and sommelier roles across Melbourne and Sydney before shifting into wholesale with Joval Wine Group. These years broadened his view of the Australian wine market and gave him valuable insight into how people buy, drink, and talk about wine.
Later roles in export and as a wine director added a global perspective, deepening his understanding of international markets, trade logistics, and the nuances of what different regions seek in a wine.
At Tellurian, Matt now represents the brand both locally and abroad — building relationships with passionate independent retailers across Australia and expanding our presence in the U.S. with a mix of enthusiasm, knowledge, and genuine love for the wines.
Matt Talbot – Sales & Marketing
Matt’s path into wine began straight after high school, studying viticulture and winemaking while working hands-on at Yeringberg. That early experience gave him more than just technical skills — it sparked a deep respect for the craft and a desire to understand every corner of the industry.
From the vineyard, he moved into wine retail and sommelier roles across Melbourne and Sydney before shifting into wholesale with Joval Wine Group. These years broadened his view of the Australian wine market and gave him valuable insight into how people buy, drink, and talk about wine.
Later roles in export and as a wine director added a global perspective, deepening his understanding of international markets, trade logistics, and the nuances of what different regions seek in a wine.
At Tellurian, Matt now represents the brand both locally and abroad — building relationships with passionate independent retailers across Australia and expanding our presence in the U.S. with a mix of enthusiasm, knowledge, and genuine love for the wines.
Tobias Ansted – Chief Winemaker
When Ian first approached me to join Tellurian as a winemaker, I said no. Luckily, Philip Moraghan from Curly Flat gave me a nudge. He said, "You should meet up with him — he wants to make benchmark Heathcote wines."
That idea stuck with me. My dream has always been to make expressive wines from beautiful vineyards — so I came on board in 2006 as a consulting winemaker, and officially took on the winemaking role in 2008.
More than a decade later, I’m still deepening my understanding of our vineyard — how each variety behaves through different seasons and across the various blocks. It takes time, commitment, and a bit of experimentation to make wines with personality, wines that are clearly of a place.
One of my first steps was bringing in viticulturist and longtime friend Tim Brown to help us manage the vineyard for optimal fruit quality. In 2009, we began making wines in a small rented winery in Taradale. By 2011, we had built our own winery at Toolleen — from the ground up. That clean slate gave us the freedom to create a beautifully simple, highly flexible setup.
If we want to whole-bunch press 100% of a parcel — no problem. If we want to destem everything, we can. It’s designed to move with the style of each wine.
My journey into wine started straight out of school. I didn’t come from a wine-drinking family — Chestnut Teal and Ben Ean Moselle were about the extent of it. I just wanted to work outdoors. During my final year of school, I spent time at Lark Hill Winery, where the family encouraged my curiosity and introduced me to a world rooted in land, flavour, and diversity.
I also worked at Farmer Bros Wine & Spirit Merchants in Canberra — an independent retailer with shelves full of local and European wines that expanded my palate and wine awareness.
After graduating from Charles Sturt University, I became a 'flying winemaker’ for Cellarworld International, consulting to wineries in Romania, Argentina, and France.
The experience that shaped me most was working as a stagiaire at Domaine Vincent Girardin in the Côte de Beaune. Vincent was incredibly generous — he shared not just his own wines but many great bottles of Burgundy. I’d come off a few tough vintages in a large commercial winery in Cowra, processing 3,000 tonnes with no trained cellar hands, and I was close to leaving the industry. Vincent brought back my enthusiasm. He reminded me that winemaking is about more than logistics. It’s about place.
I returned to Australia determined to make wines from small domains where the vineyard leads, and the wines speak for themselves. Before Tellurian, I spent eight years as chief winemaker at Balgownie Estate in Victoria.
Today, we grow and make wine from 23 hectares of our own vineyard. Our focus is on Rhone varieties — Shiraz, Mourvèdre, Grenache, Marsanne, Roussanne, and Viognier — along with Italian varieties like Fiano and Nero d’Avola, which have proven beautifully suited to Heathcote’s warm climate.
Shiraz was, and still is, the backbone of Heathcote. But the future is bright for alternative varieties.
Personally, I have a deep love for Rhone grapes (reinforced after a vintage at Cave Yves Cuilleron), and I may be one of the few people in Australia who genuinely enjoys both making and drinking Viognier.
Tobias Ansted – Chief Winemaker
When Ian first approached me to join Tellurian as a winemaker, I said no. Luckily, Philip Moraghan from Curly Flat gave me a nudge. He said, "You should meet up with him — he wants to make benchmark Heathcote wines."
That idea stuck with me. My dream has always been to make expressive wines from beautiful vineyards — so I came on board in 2006 as a consulting winemaker, and officially took on the winemaking role in 2008.
More than a decade later, I’m still deepening my understanding of our vineyard — how each variety behaves through different seasons and across the various blocks. It takes time, commitment, and a bit of experimentation to make wines with personality, wines that are clearly of a place.
One of my first steps was bringing in viticulturist and longtime friend Tim Brown to help us manage the vineyard for optimal fruit quality. In 2009, we began making wines in a small rented winery in Taradale. By 2011, we had built our own winery at Toolleen — from the ground up. That clean slate gave us the freedom to create a beautifully simple, highly flexible setup.
If we want to whole-bunch press 100% of a parcel — no problem. If we want to destem everything, we can. It’s designed to move with the style of each wine.
My journey into wine started straight out of school. I didn’t come from a wine-drinking family — Chestnut Teal and Ben Ean Moselle were about the extent of it. I just wanted to work outdoors. During my final year of school, I spent time at Lark Hill Winery, where the family encouraged my curiosity and introduced me to a world rooted in land, flavour, and diversity.
I also worked at Farmer Bros Wine & Spirit Merchants in Canberra — an independent retailer with shelves full of local and European wines that expanded my palate and wine awareness.
After graduating from Charles Sturt University, I became a 'flying winemaker’ for Cellarworld International, consulting to wineries in Romania, Argentina, and France.
The experience that shaped me most was working as a stagiaire at Domaine Vincent Girardin in the Côte de Beaune. Vincent was incredibly generous — he shared not just his own wines but many great bottles of Burgundy. I’d come off a few tough vintages in a large commercial winery in Cowra, processing 3,000 tonnes with no trained cellar hands, and I was close to leaving the industry. Vincent brought back my enthusiasm. He reminded me that winemaking is about more than logistics. It’s about place.
I returned to Australia determined to make wines from small domains where the vineyard leads, and the wines speak for themselves. Before Tellurian, I spent eight years as chief winemaker at Balgownie Estate in Victoria.
Today, we grow and make wine from 23 hectares of our own vineyard. Our focus is on Rhone varieties — Shiraz, Mourvèdre, Grenache, Marsanne, Roussanne, and Viognier — along with Italian varieties like Fiano and Nero d’Avola, which have proven beautifully suited to Heathcote’s warm climate.
Shiraz was, and still is, the backbone of Heathcote. But the future is bright for alternative varieties.
Personally, I have a deep love for Rhone grapes (reinforced after a vintage at Cave Yves Cuilleron), and I may be one of the few people in Australia who genuinely enjoys both making and drinking Viognier.
Tobias Ansted – Chief Winemaker
When Ian first approached me to join Tellurian as a winemaker, I said no. Luckily, Philip Moraghan from Curly Flat gave me a nudge. He said, "You should meet up with him — he wants to make benchmark Heathcote wines."
That idea stuck with me. My dream has always been to make expressive wines from beautiful vineyards — so I came on board in 2006 as a consulting winemaker, and officially took on the winemaking role in 2008.
More than a decade later, I’m still deepening my understanding of our vineyard — how each variety behaves through different seasons and across the various blocks. It takes time, commitment, and a bit of experimentation to make wines with personality, wines that are clearly of a place.
One of my first steps was bringing in viticulturist and longtime friend Tim Brown to help us manage the vineyard for optimal fruit quality. In 2009, we began making wines in a small rented winery in Taradale. By 2011, we had built our own winery at Toolleen — from the ground up. That clean slate gave us the freedom to create a beautifully simple, highly flexible setup.
If we want to whole-bunch press 100% of a parcel — no problem. If we want to destem everything, we can. It’s designed to move with the style of each wine.
My journey into wine started straight out of school. I didn’t come from a wine-drinking family — Chestnut Teal and Ben Ean Moselle were about the extent of it. I just wanted to work outdoors. During my final year of school, I spent time at Lark Hill Winery, where the family encouraged my curiosity and introduced me to a world rooted in land, flavour, and diversity.
I also worked at Farmer Bros Wine & Spirit Merchants in Canberra — an independent retailer with shelves full of local and European wines that expanded my palate and wine awareness.
After graduating from Charles Sturt University, I became a 'flying winemaker’ for Cellarworld International, consulting to wineries in Romania, Argentina, and France.
The experience that shaped me most was working as a stagiaire at Domaine Vincent Girardin in the Côte de Beaune. Vincent was incredibly generous — he shared not just his own wines but many great bottles of Burgundy. I’d come off a few tough vintages in a large commercial winery in Cowra, processing 3,000 tonnes with no trained cellar hands, and I was close to leaving the industry. Vincent brought back my enthusiasm. He reminded me that winemaking is about more than logistics. It’s about place.
I returned to Australia determined to make wines from small domains where the vineyard leads, and the wines speak for themselves. Before Tellurian, I spent eight years as chief winemaker at Balgownie Estate in Victoria.
Today, we grow and make wine from 23 hectares of our own vineyard. Our focus is on Rhone varieties — Shiraz, Mourvèdre, Grenache, Marsanne, Roussanne, and Viognier — along with Italian varieties like Fiano and Nero d’Avola, which have proven beautifully suited to Heathcote’s warm climate.
Shiraz was, and still is, the backbone of Heathcote. But the future is bright for alternative varieties.
Personally, I have a deep love for Rhone grapes (reinforced after a vintage at Cave Yves Cuilleron), and I may be one of the few people in Australia who genuinely enjoys both making and drinking Viognier.
Ian Hopkins - Principal
In 2002 some colleagues asked me to join them in a vineyard venture. Initially I said no, but finding the site was Heathcote I was intrigued. Two weeks later, standing on the ridge looking at the spectacular view, I was sold. My friends thought I was crazy when I told them I’d suddenly bought 200 acres on the slopes of the Mount Camel range. When I stand on the ridge and look out over spectacular view of vines and grasslands and blue skies, I’m happy to live with the crazy title. This land speaks to me. The name Tellurian meaning ‘of the earth’ relates this sense of connection, as well as a reference to Heathcote’s famed red Cambrian soils.
As a young man during summer vacations I worked at Lindemans vineyards near my family home in Corowa. Wrangling vigorous shiraz vines onto wires, I never dreamt one day I would own my own vineyards. After completing my Aeronautical Engineering Masters, I joined Australian-owned Consulting Engineer services firm Norman Disney Young (NDY), eventually becoming CEO and Chairman with offices in every capital city in Australia and an office in London.
My work travel allowed me to visit wineries and as a growing wine enthusiast, company entertaining usually involved wine. I started seriously collecting Australian and imported wines in the mid-80s, discovering Heathcote at the Victorian Winegrowers Exhibition. Ron Laughton’s Jasper Hill wines were a benchmark for me.
As it transpired the original partners and I decided to go our separate ways fairly quickly and we split the landholdings into two blocks. I set about planting a second site of 5 ha in 2003.
Coming from an engineering background makes me very quality-focused; if you’re going to do it, do it bloody well, be methodical: get the basics right and build on them along the way.
One of my smartest moves was reaching out to local winemaker Tobias Ansted. After some convincing he made our first vintages, 2007 and 2008 at Balgownie. He agreed to join us, provided we worked with viticulturist Tim Browne to get the best out of our vineyards. This was a great step forward in our evolution. Tim helped us to source deep bore water, which allowed us to buy back the original Shiraz vineyard and plant additional varieties in 2011.
Rhone varieties, particularly Shiraz, do well in Heathcote. This variety brought me into the wine industry, and my ambition is to make benchmark Heathcote Shiraz—contemporary, elegant wines that are wonderful expressions of our vineyards. We are also excited about the quality of our grenache, mourvèdre, marsanne and viognier and planning plantings of roussanne, carignan and possibly cinsault.
After a trip to Sicily, we were struck by the parallels of our climate. We loved the local Fiano and Nero d’Avola and planted Nero at our vineyards in 2011 and Fiano in 2014. Both varieties have already proven themselves brilliant additions to our range. My folly was planting riesling, inspired by Ron Laughton. Despite some naysayers outside our region, the first vintage was terrific!
As an agricultural endeavour, you are at the mercy of the elements. You can engineer the risk levels down, but the elements throw up intrigue and challenges.
The joy is when everything comes together, and it all works beautifully.
Ian Hopkins - Principal
In 2002 some colleagues asked me to join them in a vineyard venture. Initially I said no, but finding the site was Heathcote I was intrigued. Two weeks later, standing on the ridge looking at the spectacular view, I was sold. My friends thought I was crazy when I told them I’d suddenly bought 200 acres on the slopes of the Mount Camel range. When I stand on the ridge and look out over spectacular view of vines and grasslands and blue skies, I’m happy to live with the crazy title. This land speaks to me. The name Tellurian meaning ‘of the earth’ relates this sense of connection, as well as a reference to Heathcote’s famed red Cambrian soils.
As a young man during summer vacations I worked at Lindemans vineyards near my family home in Corowa. Wrangling vigorous shiraz vines onto wires, I never dreamt one day I would own my own vineyards. After completing my Aeronautical Engineering Masters, I joined Australian-owned Consulting Engineer services firm Norman Disney Young (NDY), eventually becoming CEO and Chairman with offices in every capital city in Australia and an office in London.
My work travel allowed me to visit wineries and as a growing wine enthusiast, company entertaining usually involved wine. I started seriously collecting Australian and imported wines in the mid-80s, discovering Heathcote at the Victorian Winegrowers Exhibition. Ron Laughton’s Jasper Hill wines were a benchmark for me.
As it transpired the original partners and I decided to go our separate ways fairly quickly and we split the landholdings into two blocks. I set about planting a second site of 5 ha in 2003.
Coming from an engineering background makes me very quality-focused; if you’re going to do it, do it bloody well, be methodical: get the basics right and build on them along the way.
One of my smartest moves was reaching out to local winemaker Tobias Ansted. After some convincing he made our first vintages, 2007 and 2008 at Balgownie. He agreed to join us, provided we worked with viticulturist Tim Browne to get the best out of our vineyards. This was a great step forward in our evolution. Tim helped us to source deep bore water, which allowed us to buy back the original Shiraz vineyard and plant additional varieties in 2011.
Rhone varieties, particularly Shiraz, do well in Heathcote. This variety brought me into the wine industry, and my ambition is to make benchmark Heathcote Shiraz—contemporary, elegant wines that are wonderful expressions of our vineyards. We are also excited about the quality of our grenache, mourvèdre, marsanne and viognier and planning plantings of roussanne, carignan and possibly cinsault.
After a trip to Sicily, we were struck by the parallels of our climate. We loved the local Fiano and Nero d’Avola and planted Nero at our vineyards in 2011 and Fiano in 2014. Both varieties have already proven themselves brilliant additions to our range. My folly was planting riesling, inspired by Ron Laughton. Despite some naysayers outside our region, the first vintage was terrific!
As an agricultural endeavour, you are at the mercy of the elements. You can engineer the risk levels down, but the elements throw up intrigue and challenges.
The joy is when everything comes together, and it all works beautifully.
Ian Hopkins - Principal
In 2002 some colleagues asked me to join them in a vineyard venture. Initially I said no, but finding the site was Heathcote I was intrigued. Two weeks later, standing on the ridge looking at the spectacular view, I was sold. My friends thought I was crazy when I told them I’d suddenly bought 200 acres on the slopes of the Mount Camel range. When I stand on the ridge and look out over spectacular view of vines and grasslands and blue skies, I’m happy to live with the crazy title. This land speaks to me. The name Tellurian meaning ‘of the earth’ relates this sense of connection, as well as a reference to Heathcote’s famed red Cambrian soils.
As a young man during summer vacations I worked at Lindemans vineyards near my family home in Corowa. Wrangling vigorous shiraz vines onto wires, I never dreamt one day I would own my own vineyards. After completing my Aeronautical Engineering Masters, I joined Australian-owned Consulting Engineer services firm Norman Disney Young (NDY), eventually becoming CEO and Chairman with offices in every capital city in Australia and an office in London.
My work travel allowed me to visit wineries and as a growing wine enthusiast, company entertaining usually involved wine. I started seriously collecting Australian and imported wines in the mid-80s, discovering Heathcote at the Victorian Winegrowers Exhibition. Ron Laughton’s Jasper Hill wines were a benchmark for me.
As it transpired the original partners and I decided to go our separate ways fairly quickly and we split the landholdings into two blocks. I set about planting a second site of 5 ha in 2003.
Coming from an engineering background makes me very quality-focused; if you’re going to do it, do it bloody well, be methodical: get the basics right and build on them along the way.
One of my smartest moves was reaching out to local winemaker Tobias Ansted. After some convincing he made our first vintages, 2007 and 2008 at Balgownie. He agreed to join us, provided we worked with viticulturist Tim Browne to get the best out of our vineyards. This was a great step forward in our evolution. Tim helped us to source deep bore water, which allowed us to buy back the original Shiraz vineyard and plant additional varieties in 2011.
Rhone varieties, particularly Shiraz, do well in Heathcote. This variety brought me into the wine industry, and my ambition is to make benchmark Heathcote Shiraz—contemporary, elegant wines that are wonderful expressions of our vineyards. We are also excited about the quality of our grenache, mourvèdre, marsanne and viognier and planning plantings of roussanne, carignan and possibly cinsault.
After a trip to Sicily, we were struck by the parallels of our climate. We loved the local Fiano and Nero d’Avola and planted Nero at our vineyards in 2011 and Fiano in 2014. Both varieties have already proven themselves brilliant additions to our range. My folly was planting riesling, inspired by Ron Laughton. Despite some naysayers outside our region, the first vintage was terrific!
As an agricultural endeavour, you are at the mercy of the elements. You can engineer the risk levels down, but the elements throw up intrigue and challenges.
The joy is when everything comes together, and it all works beautifully.