FROM PART-TIME PRUNING TO WORLD-CLASS WINES

Growing up in the Adelaide Hills wine region, the buzz of Australia’s wine boom seeped into Rachel Steer’s soul. During high school holidays she got her hands dirty picking fruit and pruning vines in local vineyards. It was hard work that sparked a lifelong passion and inspired her to study viticulture – the branch of horticulture focused on grapes. For her university Honours project, Rachel spent time at Chapel Hill winery in McLaren Vale. She worked alongside trailblazing winemaker Pam Dunsford – the first Australian woman appointed chief winemaker at a large wine company, the first female winemaker in Australia to be a wine show judge and the first woman hired during vintage by Champagne house Krug. Pam’s ambitious spirit inspired Rachel and laid the foundation for a bright future.

With degree in hand, Rachel worked as assistant vineyard manager at Chapel Hill for two years before moving to Orlando (now Pernod Ricard Winemakers – home to Jacob’s Creek) in South Australia’s Langhorne Creek. As a viticulturist, it was her job to manage the vineyards, producing large volumes of high-quality grapes then heading back to the field to ready the vines for next year’s harvest. But Rachel wanted more. She’d had a taste for winemaking and wanted to be involved in the whole journey from vine to wine. She went to work at McLaren Vale’s Coriole winery, an Australian pioneer in Italian grape varieties, before returning to where it all began at Chapel Hill in 2007. 

BRILLIANCE THROUGH COLLABORATION

The place that Rachel calls home is one of Australia’s most innovative wine regions, where creative winemakers produce world-renowned wines and aren’t afraid to take risks. It’s well known for its collaborative wine community and strong focus on sustainability – and this suits Rachel perfectly. She’s a core member of Chapel Hill’s winemaking team and an important voice in decision-making on everything from irrigation to fermentation. The winemakers spend time out in the vineyard too. Together, they decide the right time to pick the grapes and how to handle them in the winery. And it’s an approach that seems to be working, with the winery accumulating awards. 

“Balanced vines are going to make balanced wines and that’s always been my focus,” says Rachel. “That philosophy flows through into the winery. I’m part of the winemaking team and we have a really close relationship with our growers and the winemakers.”

Rachel is on a constant quest to do things better. She keeps her finger on the pulse with cutting-edge technology that lets her stay in touch with what’s happening in the vineyard. She also works closely with growers and winemakers across the region, because what’s happening in her vineyards is probably happening elsewhere too. Sharing ideas and solving problems together helps McLaren Vale’s wine innovators push each other further – and keep pushing the boundaries in their relentless pursuit of perfection. And Rachel wouldn’t have it any other way. 

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