Katherine Brown
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF PIONEERS
A tradition of innovation is alive and well at King Valley’s celebrated Brown Brothers winery, where fourth-generation winemaker Katherine Brown is keeping the family at the cutting edge.
As a winemaker, Katherine looks to her forefathers for inspiration. She believes it’s the company’s culture of innovation that has brought it to where it is now – and she’s continuing that legacy. Bold in her winemaking decisions and passionate about sharing Brown Brothers wines with the world, Katherine was named in the 2018 Young Gun of Wine Top 50 winemakers and is helping to lead a new generation of Australian wine.
A family of changemakers
Katherine’s great-grandfather planted the first vines in Victoria’s high-altitude King Valley in 1885 and over the next century, Brown Brothers became a household name. Katherine grew up surrounded by winemaking.
“As a kid I’d go and pick grapes and put them in a bucket, and watching it ferment and bubble away was always a fascination,” she says.
But it took a major life change in her mid 20s for Katherine to decide wine was her path. She worked in French wineries and studied winemaking in Australia, before joining the family business as a winemaker in 2015.
Creativity and freedom is at the heart of Katherine’s winemaking as she feels lucky that in Australia she can make wine in a way that suits the climate, vineyard, and her own style; creating a wine that is made her way.
As a winemaker and brand ambassador for Brown Brothers, Katherine splits her time between crafting wine and travelling around Australia and the world to share the company’s wines. Driving the family business forward is at the heart of everything she does, and innovation is a major focus – something that Brown Brothers has always taken seriously.
In the small-scale, experimental Kindergarten Winery, Katherine and the winemaking team – led by Chief Winemaker Joel Tilbrook – have the freedom to trial different grape varieties, winemaking practices and wine styles.
“This year we’re bringing in a number of new grape varieties,” says Katherine. “Some of these don’t even have names yet. So really, really exciting stuff happening in the Kindergarten.”
Every vintage, Katherine and the team work with more than 45 grape varieties from Brown Brothers’ vineyards across Victoria and Tasmania. “We’re diverse in our thinking; we like to do things differently,” says Katherine.
“It’s an amazing feeling to come to work every day and to think that my father, my grandfather and great-grandfather walked these exact steps in their lifetimes. My dream is that Brown Brothers will always be a family business.”
“I am absolutely proud that I can be here continuing the legacy of winemaking and innovation, but also very excited about where we’re heading in the future.” – Katherine Brown
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