Steve Webber & Leanne De Bortoli
EXPANDING AN EMPIRE
Guiding top-rated wines from vineyard to bottle,
De Bortoli husband and wife team Steve Webber and Leanne De Bortoli are always hunting for new ideas in their pursuit of great wine.
Encouraged by his father into the world of wine, Steve started out as a cellar hand in the Barossa Valley. He studied winemaking and honed his craft in well-known wineries – then he met his now-wife Leanne De Bortoli, and his life veered in a new direction. Leanne’s grandfather founded the well-known De Bortoli Wines, and after they married, Steve and Leanne moved to the Yarra Valley to establish a new family wine estate and make their mark in cool-climate wine.
New vines in the valley
De Bortoli Wines started life in New South Wales’ Riverina wine region in the 1920s and grew to become an award-winning company with wineries in three Australian regions and an international reputation. In the Yarra Valley wine region, De Bortoli is now one of the biggest vineyard estates.
“I think the De Bortoli family have been so progressive and done amazing things for the Australian wine industry,” says Steve. “It’s been wonderful to be part of that and to contribute.”
For Steve, an award-winning winemaker, great wines are all about growing the right grape variety in the right place and guiding the wine through the entire process – from vineyard to bottle. The hard work is done in the vineyard, allowing a more hands-off approach in the winery. And then there’s the ‘back deck test’.
“If we’re not sure about a particular wine, we’ll often take it onto our back deck in the evening after work, invite a few people and see how it tastes up there,” says Steve. “Generally, if it tastes good up there, it’s a good sign.”
As chief winemaker, Steve oversees the Yarra Valley winery’s specialties, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. More recently, lesser-known varieties have been planted too, including Pinot Blanc and Gamay.
“I think a lot of those new varieties really suit our lifestyle and the food we eat in Australia,” says Steve. “That’s what gets me excited. Trying new things and experimenting a little bit.
“I think you’ve got to push the boundaries. You’ve almost got to go too far sometimes to know where the equilibrium or the right place is. I don’t think we’ll ever make great wine unless we push ourselves to the edge.”
“You’ve got to push the boundaries. I don’t think we’ll ever make great wine unless we push ourselves to the edge.” – Steve Webber
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