Rob Sutherland
DOWN TO EARTH
Acclaimed viticulturist Rob Sutherland is putting his stamp on a Yarra Valley vineyard with forward-thinking ideas that start below ground.
When renowned family-owned winery De Bortoli bought a vineyard in the Yarra Valley in 2005, Rob was a “lucky inheritance”. He’d run it for a year already, and De Bortoli asked him to stay on. A couple of years later, he became manager for the entire 240-hectare estate. Taking inspiration from around the world, he’s transformed the vineyard and made his mark in Australian wine.
Cultivating vines for the future
Rob loves a challenge. He’s a golf fanatic who says playing the perfect round is like trying to have the perfect grape growing season. It doesn’t really happen.
“You never get the perfect score or have the perfect season, so it’s about managing things to make sure you don’t have a big miss,” says Rob.
The vineyard Rob manages is one of five owned by De Bortoli across New South Wales and Victoria. Its terrain is undulating and diverse, and its hills and slopes allow for a wide range of varieties and wines – from elegant sparkling to rich Nebbiolo and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Soon after De Bortoli bought the vineyard, Rob started a program to nurture the soil and boost vine health through living organisms. This also minimises the need for chemical and physical intervention.
“It’s the below-ground stuff that really interests me,” says Rob. “Understanding our history, our geology, how the soil was formed.
“We try to recreate the conditions of a forest in our vineyard, through making compost and things like that. We’re using that system to make our soils and vines healthy in a way that's sustainable and good for the environment. And we’ve noticed that the vines produce a consistent quality and style of wine.”
Rob’s become an expert in this area, speaking at various events. He’s also known for his success in using technology to improve vineyard management, and he’s currently overseeing a major program to replant vines and create strong new vineyards.
“A lot of the time we inherit somebody else’s ideas on a vineyard that we perhaps don’t agree with, but we can’t change it,” says Rob. “Now we’re getting an opportunity to do that and to hopefully create vineyards for future generations.”
“In Australia, we have the freedom to try new things. We’re not constrained by regulations. Some things might work or might not, but we have the ability to do it.”
– Rob Sutherland
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