MICHAEL EDWARDS
OWNER OF BAKKHEIA WINES
“I love the alchemy. How nurtured berries can travel seventy-five meters up a hill and then transform into a beautiful thing over time.”
When did you realise you wanted to become a winemaker?
After completing high school, I had three options; run away and join the circus, join the navy, or be a winemaker. The navy won the first round. Twenty-five years later my passion for wine culminated in a self-discovery journey of seven years of grape growing and then self-taught winemaking.
Please tell us about your career so far, including your education, work experience etc.
After high school I joined the navy and for the last fourteen years of a twenty-five-year career was a qualified Mine Warfare and Clearance Diving officer. This took me to the Middle East on three long deployments in 1999, 2001, 2003 and Timor Leste in 1999. A fork in the road brought me to take a less challenging work environment, and a more peaceful and creative life bringing vinous joy to the world.
What do you love most about being a winemaker?
I love the alchemy. How nurtured berries can travel seventy-five meters up a hill and then transform into a beautiful thing over time. The transformation of ferment into a complex thing of beauty is all consuming.
What is your favourite wine, and what food do you typically pair it with?
Aged riesling with cheese. We can’t grow it as our growing conditions are not suitable for the variety, but I do love it.
Is there a specific process you follow in developing a new wine?
Being a winery with production of around 1500 cases per vintage, we are not a slave to fashion. We can look at varieties and attempt to bring the best attributes out of them, whether it be the acid in Graciano, the astringency in Mourvèdre, or the tannin structures in Tempranillo. Each variety is a child needing its own care and attention to realise the optimum pleasure.
Is there a specific vintage you are particularly proud of creating? Why?
I don’t have a favourite child. They are all maturing in the bottle released when we believe they are showing their best varietal attributes. I remember seeing an advertisement from Penfolds about thirty years ago, the byline was something along the lines of ‘patience reaps reward’. This has been adopted into our winemaking mantra.
How does the local climate/soil affect the wine you make?
Our terroir is ideal for the varieties we grow and make. The selection of the varieties has been made on a combination of the wines that we love drinking alongside the soil structure, Mediterranean rainfall, and wonderful diurnal temperature ranges.
Which of your own varieties do you typically indulge in?
I do love the Mourvèdre (United and Undaunted) and the Graciano (The Groszman) of which we make very small quantities. Both speak to me with unique taste profiles and mouthfeel. The bouquets always excite me.
Where do you see yourself in five years? How do you think your winemaking will evolve during this time?
Continue to work with the challenges of nature and continuing a wonderful legacy. We are currently undertaking our own viticulture/winemaking training of a young Frenchman – soon to be Australian. Franck and his trained sommelier partner Yu Kurosawa are part of our future when we finally pass the baton.
If there is anything else you would like to add, please do so below?
Our uniqueness covers many aspects. Apart from our wines being accessed by a capped list, we also limit our production to meet this demand. We are pleased to be the only winery in the world where the patrons who subscribe to our wine list are also the ones that democratically set the prices for the wines when released. Crazy!