Award-winning winemakers

Virginia Willcock, Chief winemaker at Vasse Felix

With 27 vintages in Margaret River and many in Albania, Italy and New Zealand under her

belt, it’s no wonder Virginia Willcock is one of the most awarded female winemakers in

Australia. Now the Chief Winemaker behind some of Australia’s most critically acclaimed

wines at Margaret River’s founding wine estate, she has driven the revolutionary development

in winemaking style at Vasse Felix. Virginia has served as inspiration for many other producers

around Australia – in particular her work with wild-yeast fermentation in Chardonnay and

Cabernet Sauvignon.

Virginia’s winemaking philosophy is “Make the wines you love to drink. As winemakers, we

scour the world to find those rare and precious wines we will most love. So, at Vasse Felix,

with our pristine environment and historic vineyards, we must strive to make just that. To

perfect a distinctive style that is unique and special, that people all over the world will

recognise.”

Duncan Lloyd, Senior Winemaker at Coriole

50 years after Hugh and Molly Lloyd released the very first Coriole drop- Nowadays

Duncan Lloyd and his family continue to produce stellar McLaren Vale wines using the

same vines. From experiencing vintage in Chateauneuf-du-pape to becoming the Senior

Winemaker at Coriole, Duncan has a reputation for both the traditional and the innovative

as he works with great vines that are more than half a decade old.

“Red wines are mainly open fermented in stainless steel or old wax-lined concrete tanks.

Ferments are hand plunged. A portion of new oak is used for many of our estate reds but

many wines such as Sangiovese and Redstone Shiraz are specifically matured in older

oak to gain maturity with minimum contribution of oak flavour and extract in the wine.”

Darryl Catlin, Winemaker at Sidewood

When he was a kid, Darryl Catlin earned his first pocket money pruning vines in the

Barossa Valley, where his family made wine as a sideline. So it’s not too surprising that

he’s now a winemaker in his own right, with a string of awards to his name, including Best

Red Wine in Australia, which he won with Sidewood in 2014. Apart from a couple of years

studying pharmacy, Darryl has always worked with wine. After completing his Bachelor of

Wine Science in 2004, he started as a cellar hand at Shaw & Smith in the Adelaide Hills,

where he grew to be Chief Winemaker.

Now, as winemaker and winery manager at Sidewood, he says the best part about his job

is overseeing his wines from the grape to the glass, closely followed by being able to take

his dog Harvey to work with him. “And then there’s that proud moment when you get

something into the bottle and then see others appreciate it. That is a fantastic thing as

well,” he adds.

Families of wine

Jim and Peter of Jim Barry

Jim Barry, and his son, Peter, often talked about one day owning a Coonawarra vineyard

but the opportunities to purchase land were limited. One day, on a trip to the area, Peter

spotted a retired cricket oval surrounded by paddocks. Peter contacted the owner and

before long he was the proud owner.

Jim loved cricket and out of respect for the history of the cricket ground, John Knox Oval,

father and son decided to plant a vineyard around the pitch and to restore the original cricket

pavilion.

Jim installed a miniature statue of the great Australian cricketer, Sir Donald Bradman in

full flight and declared to his son, “That this would make a good name for a wine”, and thus

The Cover Drive Cabernet Sauvignon was born, and too the tradition, that a selection of

Jim Barry wines would carry a moniker related to the game.

The Taylor family of Taylor’s Wines

The Taylor clan in South Australia is a family that's passionate about creating excellent

wine. Inspired by beautifully-crafted European wines, Bill Taylor Snr and his sons moved

from Sydney to the Clare Valley in 1969 to prove that Australia had the climatic

peccadilloes to create prime cabernet sauvignon. The rest is history.

Over 40 years, three generations and many awards later, including being ranked World’s

No. 1 Winery by the World Association of Wine Writers and Journalists in 2017, the Taylors

family philosophy remains the same – “We rest on the principle that the finest wines are

those made with the greatest dedication and care. Above all, our imperative is to 'respect

the fruit'.”

Important information:

^Italy Competition: Qantas Airways Limited. Promotion Period:  12.01am (AEDT) 15  March 2023 to 11:59pm (AEST) 16 April 2023. Eligible Entrants: Australian resident Qantas Frequent Flyer members (excluding NT), aged 21 years or older. Entry: Eligible Entrants must purchase any wine, beer, Champagne or spirit product from qantas.com/wine. Multiple entries permitted. Draw: 2.00pm (AEST) on 15 May 2023 at MDSA, Level 16, 1 Denison Street, North Sydney NSW 2060. Prize: A trip to Italy for the winner and three 3 guests valued at a maximum AU$47,000. Winner notification: By phone and email within 2 business days of the draw and their name will be published on wine.qantas.com/win on 22 May 2023 and the Prize winner will be announced in The Australian newspaper on 22 May 2023. View full terms and conditions at https://wine.qantas.com/terms-and- conditions-competitions. License No. T20/1184 Liquor Act 2007 (NSW): It is an offense to sell or supply to or to obtain liquor on behalf of a person under the age of 18 years. Licence Number: NSW LIQP770016736, NT IRL0201, SA 57900154. Authorised under NSW Permit No. NTP/06071, ACT TP23/00314, SA Licence No. T23/226. Qantas Frequent Flyer Operations Pty Limited ABN 22 132 484 210 of 10 Bourke Road, Mascot, NSW 2020 (telephone number 02 9578 4184).

**Patron: Offer ends 6 April 2023 11:59pm (AEDT) unless sold out prior. Qantas may withdraw or extend these offers at any time. To view the Qantas Wine T&Cs, please visit here.

Liquor Act 2007 (NSW): It is an offence to sell or supply to or to obtain liquor on behalf of a person under the age of 18 years. Licence Number: NSW LIQP770016736, NT IRL0201, SA 57900154

We acknowledge the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work, live and fly. We pay respect to Elders past, present and emerging.