When did you realise you wanted to become a winemaker?
It was a series of events. It was the mid-eighties, I was enjoying a quiet beer at the Vasse Hotel in Busselton after another day of being an electrician, when I heard about a property for sale in Willyabrup. I saw its potential, nestled between the forest and the Indian Ocean. In 1985, my wife, Jan, and I bought the property at auction, which mostly consisted of bushland, a large paddock and a shack with no electricity.

Around this time, I met Harold Osborne while working for David Hohnen at Cape Mentelle. Harold, originally from California, was crafting sparkling wines for Pelorus (Cloudy Bay). He shared his knowledge and mentored me as I transitioned from being an electrician to a sparkling winemaker. I traded small roof spaces for crawling under vines and machinery!

Please tell us about your career so far, including your education, work experience etc.
In a past life, I was an electrician and spent eight years working in Banda Aceh, Sumatra, where I met a diverse array of people. Once I returned to Australia, one of the most influential people in my journey was Harold Osborne. He changed the course of my life, leading me to realise that crafting sparkling wine was far more enjoyable than being an electrician. After Jan and I purchased the property in Willyabrup, we began developing it. We planted the vines in the mid nineties, growing the premium fruit we harvest today while also raising our three boys. We have built the business and infrastructure, including the riddling, disgorging, labelling and packaging sheds, as well as my pride and joy, The Straw Shed. My electrical skills came in handy!

As far as my own wines are concerned, more than a quarter of a century later, we continue to produce Margaret River’s finest sparkling wines, crafted from local chardonnay, pinot noir and shiraz. I am very particular when it comes to the release of my wines. The wines are not necessarily released in the correct vintage order, and I often find treasures in the shed. Nowadays, we also disgorge wines for more than thirty other wineries in the Margaret River region and beyond. We are among the few wineries that has the state-of-the-art equipment to complete the méthode traditionnelle process, including labelling and packaging. I have a fantastic team including Tom Frazer, Cian Holt and Fraser Johnston working with me. It’s busy year-round, but I make sure to down tools just before Christmas, when you’ll find me on my boat fishing, in a secret spot off Hamelin Bay.

What do you love most about being a winemaker?
I love the creative process of starting with a base wine, making a yeast culture to add to that wine, bottling it, then forgetting about it for at least five years.

What is your favourite wine, and what food do you typically pair it with?
My favourite wine would be our Frazer Woods pinot chard. I’m even happier if I’ve caught a fish to go with it!

Is there a specific process you follow in developing a new wine?
Not really. I’m happy with the way I make the wines as I learnt from the best.

Is there a specific vintage you are particularly proud of creating? Why?
I was surprised by a 2011 pinot chardonnay that I didn’t like at first, but since finding a pallet of it at the back of the shed, it has become my go-to on a Friday night with my mate, Norm.