Monthly Archives: August 2011

Is this the most exciting winemaker in Australia?

I think it is only fitting that my first official wine post be about a producer in my spiritual wine home – the Yarra Valley – as I started my wine career working in the cellar door at Chandon before moving into the marketing department. Having worked in the region for over three years and driven over most of it, this was pretty interesting… On the 15th of this month I was lucky enough to be invited to a day exploring the Mac Forbes stomping ground, including a harrowing micro-flight over the region to see each of the many vineyards he sources from. It’s been awhile since I suffered motion sickness – as a child I couldn’t be in a car for more than 4 hours without throwing up – but this flight certainly brought something back up (pun intended, though not literally thank god!) Whilst it was extremely interesting to see the extent and diversity of this misunderstood region from such a height, I struggled with the turbulence and was pretty quiet for the second half of the flight, glad to be back on solid ground once we landed. The helicopter  flight above the McLaren Vale a few months ago was slightly more relaxing.

Quite a view from high above the valley

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One journey ends, another begins…

Well, after three-and-a-half years of (mostly) hard slog, I have officially completed my Masters of Wine Business. I can’t say it hasn’t been a challenge undertaking this degree as an external student, even though it was by coursework. It took me back to when I was in Japan as an exchange student (way back in 1999) and I was taking Year 11 subjects by distance education. It was hard to get feedback or bounce ideas off other students, and naturally there was an element of parochialism as I was expected to ignore any wine, winery or region that wasn’t South Australian. Writing a five-year comprehensive business plan for a Barossa Valley winery was both eye-opening and difficult.

Me and my Masters

Me and my Masters

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