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Winemaker of the year 2008: Louisa Rose, Yalumba

Third time’s the charm for this talented winemaker, who was a well-deserved finalist for this award in both 2000 and 2005. Since graduating from Roseworthy in 1993, Louisa Rose has built an enviable reputation developing wines for Yalumba. Early on she took charge of their sparkling wines, before accepting the role of Senior White Winemaker in 1996. She became Chief Winemaker in 2006, while only in her mid-30s. In addition to Yalumba, she now also has responsibility for the Hill Smith Family Vineyard wines, an impressive yet labyrinthine portfolio of brands, including Pewsey Vale and Heggies, operating across several states.

The Winemaker of the Year judges were particularly impressed by the impeccable quality of her flagship viognier, Yalumba The Virgilius, and Pewsey Vale The Contours Riesling. They loved the primal sweetness and low alcohol of the company’s most recent addition to its range of rieslings, the Pewsey Vale Prima, as well as the bold varietal characters of the Pewsey Vale Eden Valley Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer. We also appreciated the sense of innovation that inspired the addition of a viognier eau de vie to the five viogniers that Rose has responsibility for (Y Series, Eden Valley, The Virgilius, Heggies and Yalumba Late Harvest). That is, as well as co-fermenting viognier in the Y Series and Barossa Shiraz Viogniers and a tempranillo grenache viognier blend.

As with any large company, team work is one of the keys to success. Rose is both a capable leader – decisive, focused, well-organised – and a team player. At a recent one-day seminar held by the Barossa Winemakers, she was quietly supportive and ready to backup Yalumba’s Director of Winemaking, Brian Walsh, as he led the media through a major tasting.  She said at the time, “We are a team, we’re in each other’s pockets all the time. There’s never a decision made that is unilateral.”
 
The portfolio at Yalumba is diverse and so are its Chief Winemaker’s responsibilities. If there is a problem relating to a single cask she wants to know about it, even if, as happened recently, she’s in New York “preaching to the unaware”. For many years now, Yalumba has been regarded as Australia’s best producer of cask wine. On her watch, the quality has risen even further. The same is true of its entry-level Y Series, which at full mark up sells for $12.95. This range of ten wines is unquestionably the best budget-priced collection in the country.

Initially, Rose made her mark with white wines, in particular, with the Pewsey Vale whites and with Yalumba’s leadership in introducing viognier to Australia. There have also been improvements in the Heggies and the Yalumba FDW [7c] Adelaide Hills chardonnays, both of which have benefited from the use of new Bernard clones. As Chief Winemaker, her work has been all encompassing. Among other things, Rose has been experimenting with shiraz – looking at the impact of site, variety and clone – and releasing some single vineyard wines.

A lot has happened since her early days on her parents’ The Rising Vineyard near Yarra Glen. The flair she has shown in her work at Yalumba, plus her painstaking attention to detail, and the strength of her leadership has led to the production of some of Australia’s finest whites. For the sheer quality of these and much more, Louisa Rose is a worthy Winemaker of the Year.

TEXT PETER FORRESTAL PHOTOGRAPHY DON BRICE/DONBRICE.COM

This article appeared in the October/November 2008 issue of Gourmet Traveller WINE.