My grandparents lived in the Barossa Valley and I spent a lot of my childhood there with them. I had a keen sense of the place and culture. The stories of small towns, the Germans vs the English settlers, and all of the character that this brought to the Barossa.

My grandpa owned the local shoe shop which is now the best wine bar in Tanunda ( VinoLokal). He was a freemason and had a secret briefcase that no one ever saw inside. My grandma had a smile for everyone she met. She took me with her to Meals and Wheels trips to feed the oldies and then to yoga lessons in the church hall. She smoked Ransom cigarettes and poked holes in the filters as she believed this would let all the bad smoke out before she smoked them. They had big parties with all the names of the town in tow.

They were the most elegant people I knew.This is why I started on a life of wine, for the culture and the fun. It has definitely lived up to its name.