Behind the Brand - Schild Estate

90 Year old bush vine Grenache vineyard

With a twinkle in her eye as she shares her family’s story, you can’t help but embrace the passion Judy Watson has for those that came before her and what she and her siblings have accomplished since.

Judy, Schild Estate’s Family Proprietor and Brand Ambassador, has the room in the palm of her hand. “Schild Estate celebrated 150 years in 2016,” she says with an infectious grin. 1866 was the year her great great grandparents arrived. The more she talks, the more the transformation of the brand since those embryonic days seems to be nothing but impressive.

Behind the Brand - Tellurian Wines

General Manager - Daniel Hopkins

Ian Hopkins went for a relaxing drive and came home having bought a vineyard. And that was that. When Ian rang to inform his son of the news, the first question Daniel spat out was, "How long have you been thinking about this for?" His father's response caught him by surprise, "Three hours!" The rest is history.

From humble days of buying land with the provision to plant a vineyard in 2002, Heathcote's Tellurian Wines has boomed. Bricks have gradually been put in the wall (so to speak) and the onsite winery was only completed in 2012. Prior to then, the wines were contract made.

Behind the Brand - Delinquente Wine Co

The Riverland is barely seen as a region to produce premium wines, but Delinquente Wine Co's Con-Greg Grigoriou is keen to change that perception.

Behind the Brand - Flametree Wines

Things could be worse than starting out a new winery and winning a Jimmy Watson with your first attempt. A pretty handy start in 2007 not only catapulted Flametree Wines into prominence but also set a high benchmark for the wines to follow.

General Manager/Winemaker Cliff Royle and Winery Manager Julian Scott
Photo:Winery Lane

Since that glorious result with the 2007 Cabernet Merlot, Flametree backed it up and were finalists for the same award twelve months later.  General Manager and Chief Winemaker Cliff Royle says, “The aim at Flametree Wines is to make a range of wines that play to the strengths of the region and consistently deliver a great drinking experience at any price point. Margaret River wines should exhibit the hallmark characters of structure, perfume and elegance that has made this region famous.”

Behind the Brand - Peter McGlashan

“I don’t need accolades, I just want to get shit done,” Peter McGlashan tells me as we chat about the direction and his vision for the Granite Belt. You’d be hard pressed to find someone as passionate about the region’s dirt.

Behind the Brand - Scott Comyns

Good things always come to good people. Well, most of the time anyway.

One of the good guys of the wine industry is Scott Comyns. Quiet, passionate, intelligent are but a few words describe him. He carries himself with an unpretentious humility but even life can throw curve balls to people fitting that mould.