We all have key moments or experiences in our lives that end up shaping our futures. Back in 1999, I started out on a surf trip to California, but quickly realised I also needed some occasional work to keep funding the trip.

I was lucky enough at that time to have an Uncle who was also a winemaker on the central coast of California, so I started doing some work for him. That work experience quickly became a driving passion and after nearly 20 years of work and study, winemaking is well and truly my life.

Over the last 12 years, I’ve held winemaker and assistant winemaker roles with small to medium producers, but have never really strayed far from my “cellar rat” roots. This love of the cellar, and the vineyard, has really instilled a traditionalist, hands-on approach to my winemaking.