Hamish Laurie
FIZZ AND FINESSE
At one of Australia’s top boutique sparkling wine houses, Hamish Laurie takes inspiration from his trailblazing descendants while forging his own path in the scenic Adelaide Hills.
Winemaking is in Hamish’s blood. His great great grandfather pioneered grape growing on South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula in the 1840s, and when he passed away, his wife Mary took over, becoming South Australia’s first registered female winemaker. Several generations later, Hamish’s father grew grapes in the Adelaide Hills, McLaren Vale and the Yarra Valley. Today, Hamish and his wife Kate run Deviation Road winery, which produces award-winning cool-climate wines.
Sparkling in the hills
Winemaking may run in the family, but it wasn’t until Hamish was working in California for Domaine Chandon in the late 1980s and early 90s that he “caught the bug” and saw the potential for Australian wine overseas.
He went into business with his dad at Hillstowe Wines, before establishing his own Adelaide Hills winery, Deviation Road, in 1999. A couple of years later, Hamish’s wife Kate joined the business and the picture was complete.
“We started very small, very organically, because we have really self-funded ourselves to where we are today,” says Hamish. “Both Kate and I have worked other jobs, brought up our family and basically just built the production as we’ve been able to afford it.”
Kate had studied winemaking in Champagne and brought back expertise in sparkling winemaking. The cool, leafy Adelaide Hills is ideal for making sparkling wine, and it became a key focus for the couple. Today, about half the wine they make is sparkling. Kate makes the wine while Hamish looks after the rest of the business.
They may have started small, but these days Deviation Road is a highly respected winery and its premium wines are in demand.
“We’re really striving for finesse and complexity in our wines, as well as reflecting site and what the Adelaide Hills can offer,” says Hamish.
Together, Hamish and Kate have carved a unique niche while helping to push the quality and reputation of Australian wine even further.
“I think that Australia is being discovered as a producer of some of the best wines in the world,” says Hamish. “But there’s more to be done, and I think that’s really where the opportunities are for the next generation and for future generations.”
“We’re striving for finesse and complexity in our wines, as well as reflecting site and what the Adelaide Hills can offer.” – Hamish Laurie
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