Martin Spedding
Cool-climate champion
Once the CEO of a tech company, Martin Spedding is now at the helm of an acclaimed Mornington Peninsula winery and is championing Australia’s cool-climate wines.
In his late 30s, Martin realised the corporate life was no longer for him, so he quit his job in Sydney to follow his passion for wine. He spent two years searching Australia and New Zealand for the right place to grow his favourite varieties, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and ended up in Victoria’s beautiful Mornington Peninsula. Here he produces elegant, award-winning wines from top-quality vineyards – all ten minutes apart by tractor.
Wines made in the vineyard
After a long hunt for the perfect place to make his dream wines, Martin eventually discovered three incredible vineyards on the Mornington Peninsula. They were run by three families who had come together to form Ten Minutes by Tractor in 1997 – so named because it took about that long to get from one vineyard to the other on a tractor.
Martin and his wife Karen bought the company in 2004. Cut to today and Ten Minutes by Tractor is producing some of Australia’s most refined wines.
“For me, the most important thing about the wines we produce is that they are true to their place, true to their origin,” says Martin. “The greatest satisfaction we get is to see the personality of the vineyard speaking to you year after year in the glass.”
Quality comes first at Ten Minutes by Tractor, and what happens in the vineyards is of critical importance.
“We ask, ‘What do we need to do to grow the best fruit?’ And then we’ll worry about the practical implications of that,” says Martin.
In Mornington Peninsula’s cool, maritime climate, grapes naturally develop intense flavours during the long ripening season, and Martin is on a mission to share this with the world.
“I think some people have a perception that Australia is a very hot place and that we only make warm-climate wines,” he says. “I think what lies ahead of Ten Minutes by Tractor is helping to lift the profile of the Mornington Peninsula and of cool-climate regions in Australia, and the amazing quality of wines produced by many small producers.
“I’d like to see Ten Minutes By Tractor continue to live up to our potential to really make people rethink what Australian wine is all about.”
“The most important thing about the wines we produce is that they are true to their place, true to their origin.” – Martin Spedding
Disclaimer
This information is presented in good faith and on the basis that Wine Australia, nor their agents or employees, are liable (whether by reason of error, omission, negligence, lack of care or otherwise) to any person for any damage or loss whatsoever which has occurred or may occur in relation to that person taking or not taking (as the case may be) action in respect of any statement, information or advice given via this channel.
