Fraser McKinley
A MASTERCLASS IN AUTHENTICITY
For creative Barossa winemaker Fraser McKinley, winemaking is a learning process above all else. The outcome: hand-made, limited-release wines that send fans into a frenzy.
Like a lot of winemakers, Fraser’s passion for wine started with the consumption of it. Born in New Zealand, he studied design and became intrigued by the world of wine. After graduating, he worked a vintage in the Barossa Valley, and those sunny days spent picking grapes and scrubbing winery equipment left an indelible mark. In 2006, Fraser and his wife Andrea moved to the Barossa. With an insatiable thirst for knowledge and a passion for making honest, authentic wines, Fraser is redefining Barossa Valley wine through his label, Sami-Odi.
Hand-made from start to finish
Fraser’s winemaking career has been defined by his fascination with everything wine and his endless drive to learn. His first full-time job as assistant winemaker wasn’t enough – he also spent early mornings and late nights making his own wine and letting his curiosity roam free.
But he felt there was a piece of the puzzle missing, so he asked Adrian Hoffman, a fifth-generation Barossa grower, if he could look after some vines. Adrian gave him four rows of vines to manage along with plenty of advice. Keen to let nature lead the way, Fraser started farming organically (Adrian’s vineyard was almost organic but not quite).
“It makes so much sense to me to be working with nature as opposed to fighting things,” says Fraser.
These days, still working closely with Adrian, Fraser is 100% focused on his own label, Sami-Odi. He produces two Shiraz wines each year that have a cult following and saw him named Young Gun of Wine in 2014. His winemaking style is transparent and low intervention, honouring his passion for letting the soil, the season and the grapes guide the wine.
“We don’t use anything that plugs into the wall,” says Fraser. “It means everything is done at a pretty slow, gentle pace. It’s pretty hands-on the whole way through and I really enjoy that.”
Fraser’s not just hands-on in the winery – he controls every aspect of the process, from tending the vines and making the wines to creating the labels, bottling the Shiraz and sending them off. This is wine as a pure expression of its maker and the place it’s grown and made.
“The most interesting thing to me about wine is the lack of an exact science to it,” says Fraser. “There is no right or wrong way to do things … This is just wine that our family makes here.”
“I think authenticity is probably more important than anything.”
– Fraser McKinley
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