Andrew George
INNOVATION IN THE FIELD
Viticulturist Andrew George produces high-end fruit for a renowned Yarra Valley winery. He’s also curious about unusual varieties, and he’s not afraid to experiment.
In the cool folds of the Yarra Valley wine region, Andrew is watching the weather forecast as he tends the vines at Yarra Yering. Established in 1969 at the foot of the Warramate Hills, it’s one of the region’s oldest and most respected wineries. Andrew joined in 2012, after a decade in the vineyard at nearby Yeringberg and a childhood spent in the area. Now he’s behind the top-quality fruit that goes into some of the Yarra Valley’s best wines.
Cultivating valley vines
Like all good viticulturists, Andrew is obsessed with the weather. Out in the vineyard, he’s at the mercy of it. From the vineyard he manages at Yarra Yering in the Yarra Valley wine region, he watches the weather come in.
“We’ve got an amazing view and we can see thunderstorms rolling in and the sun coming up over the mountain ranges,” he says. “You can also see possible hailstorms coming in and freak out…”
A young Andrew went to school 15 minutes from Yarra Yering and he’s spent most of his career in the region, so he knows the land well. And he loves being a part of the Yarra Valley’s close-knit wine community.
“People are pushing one another to get better and there’s a huge drive to make sure that we’re getting premium Australian wine out there,” he says.
In the vineyard, Andrew keeps things as simple as possible to let the grapes develop intense flavours that reflect their environment. The vines are hand-pruned in the cold, misty winter and hand-picked in the heat of harvest – Andrew’s two favourite times of the year. He’s worked hard to improve the vineyard through replanting, sustainable growing and boosting soil health.
“I feel fortunate that I work at a vineyard that has got such a great site, and terroir does express itself quite a lot,” he says.
Yarra Yering is renowned for its Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Shiraz. But it’s also home to some Portuguese varieties rarely seen in the Yarra Valley, including Tinta Cão, Souzão and Tinta Amarela.
“We’ll probably experiment with a couple of other varieties as well, just to play around with,” says Andrew. “It’s all about building on where we are at the moment and just getting better and better.”
“People are pushing one another to get better and there’s a huge drive to make sure that we’re getting premium Australian wine out there.” – Andrew George
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