Justin Purser
STEADY CLIMB TO THE TOP
As senior winemaker at one of Australia’s most historic wineries, Justin Purser is walking the line between tradition and transformation.
Whether he’s rock climbing with his kids or exploring new winemaking techniques, Justin is often scaling new heights. After studying winemaking and viticulture, he worked in wineries around the world, including New Zealand, Italy and several years at one of the best wineries in Burgundy. In 2011, he joined Best’s Wines in Victoria’s mountainous Grampians wine region. Founded in 1866, Best’s is famous for its elegant wines. And now Justin is writing a whole new chapter in this long-running story.
Leading an iconic winery into the future
When Justin was working as a wine waiter in Sydney around 20 years ago, he tasted an old wine from Burgundy in France and had a “lightbulb moment”.
“It just knocked my socks off … and I really wanted to discover how wine like that was made,” he says.
He travelled the world to become the best winemaker he could, before scoring a dream job as winemaker at the historic Best’s Wines. The role is an important one, and Justin doesn’t take this responsibility lightly.
“Working for a place like Best’s is incredible with the amount of heritage it has,” he says. “It has some of the oldest vines in the world... I think having that history brings with it a lot of responsibility. So, you really have to respect what’s been done ahead of you.”
It’s Justin’s ability to balance tradition with innovation that helps set him apart. In 2018 he was named in the Young Gun of Wine Top 50 winemakers, largely for two Rieslings he’d made using unusual methods.
“I love to experiment, and I love to explore,” says Justin. “There are all these different areas you can play with in winemaking, and I’m always pushing the boundaries.”
Right now, Justin has his sights set on making a wine from Fer grapes, an old French variety rarely seen in Australia. But whether he’s exploring new varieties or trialing different winemaking techniques, he strives for authenticity above all else.
“We are true to our region and where our grapes are grown,” he says. “We are true to the history of the wines and the winemaking that’s been done at Best’s for 150 years. But we are also true to being creative and innovative, and looking to new ideas and techniques. Never sitting on our hands and accepting mediocrity, but always looking to make our wines better.”
“We are true to our region and true to our history. But we are also true to being creative and innovative, and never accepting mediocrity.” – Justin Purser
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