Winemaker and operations manager, Barossa Valley Estate
Tasting Beat: Guest blogger
Wine has always been a part of my life and my family still grows grapes at Watervale in the Clare Valley. When I attended Adelaide University, studying for my bachelor's degree in medical sciences, I worked in the Adelaide hospitality trade, managing restaurants and hotels, which helped me gain valuable insight into the many varied groups of wine and food consumers. I eventually changed my focus in school and graduated with a degree in enology in 1992.
After college, I went to work at Chittering Estate in Western Australia, followed by stints at Leasingham Wines and Crabtree Watervale Wines in the Clare Valley.
In 2000, I relocated to Victoria to become winemaker at Blue Pyrenees Estate in the Pyrenees region of Victoria before coming home to South Australia once more to join the Barossa Valley Estate team.
I have a passion and enthusiasm for the pursuit of excellence in viticulture and winemaking, and Barossa Valley Estate is all about the very close and symbiotic relationships that exist between the grower, the maker, the marketer and the consumer. We are constantly striving for excellence in every facet of the total process. The history we have, the pedigree of the brand and the state-of-the-art winery situated in the heart of the Barossa point toward an exciting future.
Outside of winemaking, my other great passions are my family, cooking and enjoying great food with wine, and striving to keep my golf handicap under 18.
Recent blog posts by Stuart Bourne
- Cheers, Thanks and Farewell from Barossa Valley (Apr 28, 2009)
- And Now the Party (Apr 22, 2009)
- Final Ferments During Easter in Barossa (Apr 13, 2009)
- Sustainable Agriculture in Barossa Valley (Apr 6, 2009)
- The E&E Black Pepper Shiraz Is Born (Mar 30, 2009)
- Sampling 2009 Shiraz Ferments (Mar 23, 2009)
- Hitting the Peak of the Barossa Harvest (Mar 13, 2009)
- Racking Chardonnay and Fermenting Shiraz in Australia's Barossa Valley (Mar 5, 2009)
- Night Harvests in the Barossa (Mar 2, 2009)
- The Dawn of the 2009 Barossa Shiraz Harvest (Feb 19, 2009)
