I have been in the wine business since 1980. As a specialist viticulturist, I spent my research career with Dr Richard Smart, pioneering the new viticultural techniques now used in many regions of the world. I have published numerous academic and popular papers during this time and was awarded a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Scholarship in 1985 to study grapevine virus diseases in California.  In 1996 I became a Master of Wine, the only specialist viticulturist in the world to have this distinction, now regarded as the pinnacle of academic achievement in the industry. During this time I worked for Villa Maria Estate as Group Viticulturist, playing a significant role in the company’s high quality reputation.

Together, with the Peabody family in 1997, we created Craggy Range.