Several new winemakers appointed

By Amy Looker

Several wineries from both Australia and New Zealand will be welcoming new faces to their winemaking teams in the new year.

Tempus Two has named its new winemaker as Andrew Duff, replacing Scott Comyns who moved to Briar Ridge in recent months.

Duff is a Hunter Valley local who commenced his career in wine at the mere age of 15 in a work experience role during vintage with Reynolds Yarraman Winery.

A move to New Zealand in 1997 prompted Duff to study Wine Science at the Eastern Institute of Technology in Hawke’s Bay, where he worked vintages every year at various wineries in New Zealand and Australia to further evolve his knowledge of the great grape.

Duff originally joined the Tempus Two team in 2008 as an assistant winemaker and said he is thrilled to take over the reigns at Tempus Two.

"I have always been a huge admirer of the Tempus Two brand and the McGuigan family, so when the role came up I absolutely jumped at it," Duff said.

"The high standard of wines here is really fantastic and the atmosphere in the winery is great, so I couldn’t ask for more."

Duff said his aim in the new role is to maintain the high standard of production and further promote the range of Chardonnay, which he feels deserve greater recognition.

Shaw + Smith has also announced that Adam Wadewitz will be joining its team in 2013 as senior winemaker.

Wadewitz has racked up an enviable record of accolades in his career, including Joint Dux of the Len Evans Tutorial 2009, Gourmet Traveller WINE Winemaker of the Year Finalist 2010, Young Gun of Wine Finalist 2011 and has judged at the prestigious capital city wine shows of Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra.

As senior winemaker at Shaw and Smith, Wadewitz will work closely with founding winemaker Martin Shaw on both Shaw + Smith Adelaide Hills wines and the Toldpuddle Vineyard wines from Tasmania’s Coal River Valley.

In Western Australia, Larry Cherubino Wines has appointed Peter Dillon as its senior winemaker, effective from early January in 2013.

Based in Dunsborough and bringing with him more than a decade of small and large-scale winemaking experience, Dillon’s new role will span each of the five ranges under Larry Cherubino Wines – Ad Hoc, The Yard, Cherubino, Pedestal and Laissez Faire.

Since 2008, Dillon has worked as a senior winemaker and manager at Houghton’s Nannup winery, as well as Winemaker for Brookland Valley Wines. 

 

And across the ditch, the Mud House Wine Group has named Ben Glover as its group winemaker, looking after all of the company’s winemaking, including wines in the Mud House and Waipara Hills brands.

Glover joins the Mud House Wine Group from Lion New Zealand where he was the director of winemaking and chief winemaker of Wither Hills Vineyards.