Our Wine Maker
Life in the wine industry for me started in 1999 working for Amberley Estate and Moss Brothers in the Margaret River region in the vineyard, with stints in the cellar during vintage. This strong interest in the industry was formed in 1995, when my parents built a holiday house in the Yallingup Hills. A number of iconic Margaret River wineries were a stone’s throw away. Foreseeing this as a lifestyle choice, viticulture was my chosen career.
In 2000, I started my university degree at Curtin University of Technology, initially studying viticulture but then moved to viticulture and winemaking in 2001, although viticulture was always the end goal. In 2002, I worked at D’Arenberg Wines in McLaren Vale and my love for winemaking superseded my need to tend vines. In short, my love affair with wine was born!
Once I had completed my degree, it wasn’t long before I was back in the Margaret River region working for Amberley Estate in 2003 as a cellar hand. This lead to 3 great years working in Margaret River for multiple companies including my first winemaking position in 2004. Upon completion of the 2005 southern hemisphere vintage I was offered a Vintage Assistant Winemaker position for Hidden Bench in the Niagara Peninsula in Canada. This was a newly-formed company with the onus to push boundaries with Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling. In 2006 I was offered a 6 month contract at Hidden Bench as Assistant Winemaker to help finish what I had started the previous year.
In 2007, the call back to Margaret River to work was strong and I was offered a position with Evans and Tate, initially as a vintage cellar hand, finishing up as their Cellar Manager. In 2008, Boar’s Rock purchased the winery from Evans and Tate and I worked for them for a further 3 years, ending as Client Winemaker.
In 2010, I embarked on a journey of exploration in Europe to enhance my winemaking skills and knowledge. My initial stop was at François Lurton in the Languedoc region in France where I worked as Vintage Assistant Winemaker and this was followed by a three month opportunity in the Mosel region of Germany for Heymann Lowenstein helping in the cellar but also picking and pruning the vines.
Upon returning to Australia, my wife and I moved to Victoria where I worked for the prestigious winery Innocent Bystander/Giant Steps in the Yarra Valley as Cellar Manager. This only lasted a year as Margaret River was calling me back. In 2011 I was offered a position with Boar’s Rock as Winemaker. In late 2011, the winery was purchased by the Fogarty Family and held the position of Senior Winemaker until December 2015
My desire to return to a premium branded focus producer lead to my movement to the Credaro team as winemaker in January 2016. In May 2017, I was promoted to Chief Winemaker.
Working in Margaret River has helped define my winemaking. Living and working in an area that other people” love to holiday in” is a dream. I believe that this aesthetic has helped shape the region’s diverse wine styles and continual drive to make world class wines! A region I am proud to be working in.