Tom Guthrie
Winemaker and Owner of Grampians Estate
“Winemakers often become the focus of a winery’s success, but without a team effort it wouldn’t happen.”
When did you realise you wanted to become a winemaker?
When I turned sixty, it was time to relinquish the sheep farm to the next generation and concentrate on the wine business. My wife Sarah and I had grown the business from its small beginnings in 1995, running two vineyards and creating the Grampians Estate brand.
Turning sixty coincided with our part-time winemaker retiring so the idea arose from that. We needed a winemaker so there was an opportunity to take the reins. I enrolled in the Charles Sturt University Bachelor of Wine Science degree and away I went. Seven years later I graduated, not the oldest graduate ever, but up there! I often tell people I was the only student who had both a student card and a senior’s card.
Please tell us about your career so far.
I’m a fourth-generation sheep farmer. I completed an Agricultural Engineering degree at Melbourne University. Early on in my career I realised the need for diversification and opted to plant a vineyard. It was a steep learning curve, but I was always optimistic that it would come good one day. That day took a lot longer than I anticipated!
What do you love most about being a winemaker?
Creating wines people enjoy drinking. Every now and then a wine wins a gong and that is very rewarding as you have made the wine to its full potential. Winemakers often become the focus of a winery’s success, but without a team effort it wouldn’t happen.
As a small family business, my wife Sarah is integral to the operation of the business, as are the various staff who help with running the cellar door, do pruning and picking, and so on.
Our daughter Pollyanna is a graphic designer, her expertise is shared on nearly every bottle that is sold, her label redesigns regularly attracting praise.
What is your favourite wine, and what food do you typically pair it with?
Sparkling Shiraz.
It’s an Australian invention and it’s more versatile than you think. Cheese and biscuits and sparkling Shiraz as an Aperitif, with roast turkey on Xmas day and a
chocolate dessert accompanied by fresh raspberries or as a BBQ stopper!
Is there a specific process you follow in developing a new wine?
After celebrating thirty years, my focus is very much on quality not quantity. I’m an admirer of Seppelt’s Show Sparkling Shiraz; a quality wine having spent ten years on lees. My process was a) do I love that wine – yes and b) how can I make one just as good!
Is there a specific vintage you are particularly proud of creating? Why?
The 2021 St Ethels 1878 Vines Shiraz, only one barrel, 30 dozen, ancient vines, second edition was awarded 97 points from Halliday. My first 97-point wine. I thought it was a cracker and at least someone else agreed!
How does the local climate/soil affect the wine you make?
Our Grampians climate is ideal for cool climate reds. Climate/soil is instrumental in producing wines suited to those conditions. It’s easy on paper but seasons vary so much, which adds to the excitement of what is produced each year.
Which of your own varieties do you typically indulge in?
I’m a red wine sort of guy so it can be any of them with a leaning to Shiraz, sparkling Shiraz and Grenache.
Where do you see yourself in five years? How do you think your winemaking will evolve during this time?
Having made a late start to my winemaking career, I’m keen to keep going as long as I can. Provided I stay fit and healthy, I’ll be here trying to make that Halliday 98-point wine.
From Wineries of Australia 2026–2027, edited by Alice O’Brien, Belinda Coleman, Chloe Jaenicke and Stefani Grinberg