The VineCrest Crew

The cellar door at VineCrest buzzes with a tangible infectious energy. Walking into the replica
1840s pug cottage on the northern edge of Tanunda there is an atmosphere of positive determination and youthful exuberance.

It’s no surprise then, to find a dynamic young team driving the premium Barossa brand, headed up by sales manager Matt Dunning, 28.

“We have a small but focused team here at VineCrest,” says Matt, leaning across the expansive tasting bench, having just poured another round of Merlot to a group of English backpackers. “The fact that we are all in our 20s and early 30s is very much a positive and is a big contributor to the culture behind the label.”

The “we” Matt refers to is Rachel Power, 20, functions coordinator, Aimee Andersen, 25, cellar door coordinator and the newest edition to the team, Adam McLean, SA and NT sales representative, 33.

“I am very fortunate to be able to head up the national operations of a brand such as VineCrest and still call the Barossa home,” says Matt. “To have the opportunity to build a dynamic and committed team of other like-minded industry professionals, who are just as excited
about our future, is largely due to the support from our parent company, Thachi.”

Thachi (a subsidiary of Indage Vintners Ltd) acquired VineCrest in April 2008 from original owners Ian and Sue Mader.

“I have been working with VineCrest in one way or another for about 10 years,” says Matt—a mean feat when you consider most Gen Ys change careers like they change fashion styles.

“I have been with the company long enough to see it grow from what was a small family enterprise of about 800 cases, to an organisation with national and international distribution of over 5,000 cases annually.

“While we will always be Barossa focused, Thachi offers VineCrest a level of international connection that we previously couldn’t access,” continues Matt. “We are able to develop and maintain our standing as a premium Barossa label, yet have the opportunity to grow the brand on a global scale.”

This is a long way from VineCrest’s beginnings, when in 1999 it launched with just a Semillon and Shiraz in its portfolio. Now the label boasts up to 10 wines, a cellar door estate on 12 hectares of prime Valley floor soil and a World’s Best Merlot gong under its belt.

But back to that cellar door. Why is there such a feeling of positivity and optimism at a time when financial doom and gloom casts a thick cloud of doubt over the future of the industry?

“We are all young and have been given an amazing opportunity to forge a future for VineCrest,” says Matt. “Yes, we are absolutely subjected to the whimsy of global markets, environmental challenges and consumer uncertainty, but we can’t sit around feeling sorry for ourselves. We’ve got to tackle this thing head on and as a young team we are ready to face that challenge.”

A large portion of that optimism is coming out of China.
“We have been working with the Chinese market since late 2008,” says Matt. “We hosted a Chinese distributor here at cellar door and after fostering relationships, 40 percent of our red portfolio now heads into that market.”

While the team at Tanunda is driven by exciting their customers, for Matt, the next 12 months will be about maintaining a focus on absolute quality during the dry and challenging 2009 vintage.

“We are predominantly an estate grown label and with the expertise of our winemaker Chris Polymiadis, we will continue to focus on producing quality wines.

“Without ensuring quality in the bottle, all of our determination and positive efforts won’t count for much.”