Stepping lightly 

When Marc and Eva Besen founded TarraWarra in 1983, they envisaged a place of beauty and world-class wines. Today it’s a favourite on the Yarra Valley wine trail, known for its elegant, cool-climate Chardonnay, Marsanne, Roussanne, Pinot Noir and Shiraz.

“When Marc came to Australia [as a refugee from Romania after World War II], he had absolutely nothing, and he was really touched by how kind and generous people were,” says Clare. “So he’s always wanted to give back to the Australian people. Part of that is creating this really beautiful space and beautiful wines which people can enjoy. That’s his legacy.”

Clare has been a part of that legacy for over 20 years, producing exceptional wines that put TarraWarra on the map. She’s an advocate for a less-is-more approach in the winery, working closely with vineyard manager & farm manager Stuart Sissins to let the vineyard shine through.

“We’ve worked together to make sure that when we get fruit into the winery, we don’t actually need to do very much to it,” says Clare. “So, our wine really is an expression of our vineyard, our site, going into barrel and then eventually into bottles. We’re trying to capture our site and season every year.”

One of Clare’s biggest projects has been reducing TarraWarra’s environmental footprint. She’s led a range of initiatives and innovations, including installing solar panels, eliminating cleaning chemicals in the restaurant kitchen and implementing a system to treat and reuse water.

 “The property will stay in the family for the next two generations at least, so we see ourselves as custodians,” says Clare. “I’m setting this property up for the next 40 or 50 years. So, we’re really looking to see how we can improve and stay relevant into the future.”