“Each year, it’s an exciting challenge and my passion is to make sure every parcel of wine is the best it can possibly be”.

Emma is chief winemaker at Wirra Wirra in McLaren Vale, making globally recognised wines including Church Block Cabernet blend and icons such as the RSW Shiraz, The Angelus Cabernet Sauvignon and The Absconder Grenache. She has more than 20 years of winemaking experience and has worked in premium winegrowing regions such as Coonawarra, Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Grampians and Tasmania in Australia, and the Rhone Valley and Bordeaux in France.

She has crafted wines for distinguished Australian brands such as Seppelts, Lindeman’s and Penfolds.  At Penfolds, she led the red winemaking team and pioneered Penfolds’ winemaking venture in France.

 Emma says a career highlight was the five years she spent working with the Treasury Wines Estates Viticulture team looking at ways to increase quality in the vineyards.

“This has really shaped my winemaking philosophy and the value I place on vineyard visits and building strong relationships between growers and winemakers to achieve quality and consistency,” she says.

“I enjoy working closely with growers to maximise potential and elevate quality in each individual parcel of fruit, the vintage vineyard visits are particularly critical to achieving our winemaking goals.

“It’s important to be able to make the fruit into wine in a way that is respectful to the vineyard site and its style potential.”

Emma believes Australian wine industry stands out on the global stage due to winemakers having freedom to experiment and challenge traditional boundaries. This freedom to experiment not only defines Australia’s wine industry but also propels it forward.

“The freedom we have to grow and make wines from any region ignites winemaking creativity and the pursuit of quality, giving our wines a unique edge on the global stage. For me, the quintessential Australian Cabernet and Shiraz blends we make are truly special and outstanding” she says.

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