Generation game plan
Sydney Morning Herald
Tuesday March 9, 2010
These renowned labels have made their businesses a family pursuit, writes Ellen Connolly. Chris Tyrrell, his hands stained red from harvesting, admits he could well have wine in his blood.For as long as he can remember, the 27-year-old knew he would work in the wine industry."As a kid growing up, I'd be out in the vineyard with my grandfather ... and during harvest, he'd be yelling at people to pull their weight," Chris says.Chris is a fifth-generation winemaker and hails from one of the world's great wine dynasties, Tyrrell's Wines.He grew up on the land, watching his grandfather, the iconic Murray Tyrrell, and his father, Bruce, plant vines in the foothills of the Brokenback Ranges."I love the fact that these old vineyards are more than 100 years old and that my descendants were here in the same weather conditions, treading the same boards that we now are," Chris says.His sister, Jane, is also firmly entrenched in the family business as NSW field sales manager, and his brother, John, works across several areas of the business.Chris, who believes the rich past of his family's wine dynasty has been crucial to its ongoing success, says he is looking forward to "getting in people's faces" during NSW Wine Week."Maybe it will help a few people wake up and understand that it's not all about New Zealand sauvignon blancs," he says.While Chris always knew he would end up working amid the vines, Tiffany Nugan never would have imagined it.In 2001, she was living the corporate life in Sydney, employed as a lawyer at a large city firm with a career path mapped out.But she gave it all up to launch her family's wine label, Nugan Estate, with her brother, Matthew."It was a big decision but Mum asked us to be involved and we are very determined and passionate people," says Tiffany, whose family's Griffith-based company was, and still is, a major player in carrot juice production.Nine years on, Nugan Estate, in the Riverina, has become Australia's 20th-largest winery."Matt and I have been very much the face of the brand and we work the markets all over the world and connect with our customers."Tiffany, who is chair of NSW Wine Strategy, says the growth in sales of state-grown wines since NSW Wine Week began three years ago has been inspiring."It's raised the awareness of NSW wines," she says."Many people didn't know what was in their own backyard. Our industry is all about families. If you are supporting a NSW wine industry, it's likely you are supporting a family."Also ditching a career in law to work in wine was James Agnew, whose father, Brian, a former Melbourne Cup horse breeder, bought a vineyard in the Hunter Valley in 2004."We were certainly stepping into the unknown but it certainly seems that we've come up trumps," James, who is the manager of sales and marketing at Audrey Wilkinson Wines, says.He says the winery's brand has "developed and grown very quickly" and working in a family business is very rewarding."Whenever I go around for dinner [at my parent's] we have a de facto board meeting," he says.To the south is another family wine dynasty, Coolangatta Estate, the brainchild of Greg Bishop, who planted vines on the property, near Berry, in 1988.The successful winery has four-star accommodation with a golf course, restaurant and a cellar door manned by Bishop's son-in-law, Ben Wallis.The label's flagship semillon has won numerous awards but the brand is only available in the South Coast region. But, Wallis is quick to add, Sydneysiders can get a "taste of the Shoalhaven" at NSW Wine Week.
© 2010 Sydney Morning Herald
