Australian magazine, Gourmet Traveler Wine, announced The 4 Finalists for its 2010 Winemaker of the Year Awards.
Women first with Virginia Willcock of Vasse Felix (Margaret River) whose itinerary back and forth between down under and Europe brought her to her current place.
Here are some of the rough patches they describe on her road to the top:
"At 1am on a moonless night in 1994, Virginia Willcock waited in her
truck in a car park just past the Macedonian border to conclude an
arrangement to buy some grapes to ship back to Albania. It was the low
point of a frustrating month spent working as a flying winemaker for
Kym Milne, who heads up UK-based International Wine Services.
Willcock regards it as a turning point that made her more determined
to succeed, and took her back to the 1995 vintage at Cape Mentelle,
which began her love affair with Margaret River cabernet. Her return to
Europe to work again with Milne in Trentino, Sicily, Abruzzo and
Puglia, taught her the importance of organisation, developing operating
systems, careful communication and attention to detail.
Next Adam Wadewitz & Viv Thomson at Best’s Great Western, Adam, the young winemaker and his mentor Viv.
Magazine notes that:
Year awards for their significant joint contribution. Their outstanding
work at Best’s Great Western continues the legacy of this iconic
winery, established in 1866 by Henry Best. Originally known as the
Concongella Vineyard, it contains the Old Nursery Block – a
viticultural history book that remains the heart and soul of Best’s
Great Western today.
It was the Old Nursery Block and the
surrounding Concongella vineyards that swayed a talented, young
Wadewitz to plunge headlong into polishing up the charms of Bests’
Great Western wines."
Third is Alex McKay at Collector who they introduce as a man who lets his wines do the talking and has 2 award winning Shiraz to prove it. They credit a dishwashing job in a Canberra restaurant has his lucky introduction to the world of winemaking.
He has sourced grapes from many growers over time to create his Collector wines.
Last, Tim Adams of Tim Adams Wines (Clare Valley), the magazine introduces him as follows:
"His mentor was the legendary Mick Knappstein, who ran Leasingham in the
Clare Valley for many years. “He employed me; he was my second
father-figure,” says Adams.
That was in 1975 and Adams was 17. The son of a bank manager, Tim
has spent most of his life in the valley, except to gain experience in
California and Rioja."
They quote Tim Adams as saying that the 2 wines he is most proud of (because "he created them from the ground up") are a Reserve Tempranillo and a Pinot Gris.
His label (below) proudly says craftsman.
Let me confess that I have not tasted any wine from any of these winemakers.
Time to catch up I guess!