Peter McGlashan
CREATIVE SPARK
With his authentic wines and alternative point of view, winemaker Peter McGlashan has helped put the Granite Belt wine region on the world wine map.
Peter had no plans to be a winemaker. He’d moved to Queensland’s Granite Belt wine region with his wife Deb, and with his background in hospitality, was running a winery cellar door. In 2004 the winery was bought by Martin Cooper, who named it Ridgemill Estate and asked Peter if he could come and look after the vineyard, which is how it all started.
Capturing strange birds
The year after Peter agreed to try his hand at winemaking, his first Chardonnay won a gold medal at the International Chardonnay Challenge. Since then, he’s won a string of awards for his Ridgemill Estate wines.
“I’m most passionate about Chardonnay; I think it's the most interesting drink on the planet,” says Peter. “But I also really love the fascinating world of emerging or alternative varieties.”
Peter’s curiosity in the unknown and love for the rugged Granite Belt have seen him become a trailblazer, shining a global spotlight on the emerging region. In 2007, he co-founded the Strange Bird concept to promote the region’s alternative varieties, helping to create the popular alternative wine trail.
He’s built his reputation on a diverse range of wines – from Pinot Grigio to Tempranillo to Saperavi. Classics like Chardonnay and Shiraz are mainstays at Ridgemill Estate, but alternatives are a growing focus, and new vines, including Albarino and Graciano, are going in the ground. All the wines are grown, handcrafted and bottled on site.
“We don’t try to replicate a wine style,” says Peter. “We’re just making wines in a Ridgemill Estate style, and how we think the wines should taste.”
Peter might never have planned this path, but with his creative streak and tireless pursuit of quality, it seems like it was meant to be.
“I enjoy all facets of the winemaking process,” says Peter. “But when it’s total chaos, the grapes are coming in, and the crush is going, and the plunging, and the racking ... When all the processes are happening, and it’s absolute chaos, that’s my favourite time.”
“I think Chardonnay is the most interesting drink on the planet. But I also really love the fascinating world of alternative varieties.” – Peter McGlashan
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