Julian Castagna
Vigneron at Castagna
“It is that interaction between the land itself, the produce of that land, and the hand of the maker that I find so exciting.”
When did you realise you wanted to become a winemaker?
Fine wine has always been an obsession, and when the opportunity came to purchase some land and start a vineyard, in an area which I considered amongst the most special in Australia but was still relatively unknown, the pull was just too great!
Please tell us about your career so far.
I came to wine from a career in the film industry. I was fortunate to be living in London when fine wine was still relatively affordable, so I was able to both taste and drink extraordinary wines. My wine knowledge – such as it is – has come from that time. My interest in wine drew me to offer my help at vintage time to producers I had got to know from buying their wines. I spent many amazing vintages helping vignerons in both France and Italy while I was living in Europe. I suspect that my desire to grow and make European style wines (here in Australia) with our own fruit, has come from that time.
What do you love most about being a winemaker?
I am fundamentally a wine grower first, and a winemaker second.
We farm biodynamically and are certified as such. I believe that if you grow the right variety on the right piece of terroir without chemical interference, the wines almost make themselves. It is that interaction between the land itself, the produce of that land, and the hand of the maker that I find so exciting.
What is your favourite wine, and what food do you typically pair it with?
I have no favourite wine, rather I am obsessive about fine wine in general. Right now, the excitement of growing serious nebbiolo gives me such joy. Italian varieties have proven to be amazingly successful in the Beechworth wine region. Sangiovese was always going to work, but I wasn’t so sure about nebbiolo, but it is proving to be equally as magical as the sangiovese!
Is there a specific process you follow when developing a new wine?
No, no special process really. We try to be honest about what the vineyard is offering us and react accordingly. For me, it’s a very simple process: If I like the wine, the likelihood is that other people will as well.
Is there any vintage you’re particularly proud of creating? Why?
There are of course vintages that I’ve liked better than others, but no, not really. When the intention is to make wines that are site-driven, wines of the land, the most important decision you make is whether you put the wine into bottle.
How does the local climate/soil affect the wine you make?
Beechworth is an amazing terroir, the soil is ancient and lean, and vines must work very hard to produce their fruit. Low cropping produces incredible flavours. I have not come across anywhere else in the world that is able to produce so many varieties at a very high level. I have no doubt at all that one day, Beechworth will be considered as one of the premier Australian terroirs.
From Wineries of Victoria – Issue 16, edited by Jess Muller