SIMPLY THE BEST

We at PRESTIGE get to taste the best of the Penfolds Collection with Senior Winemaker Stephanie Dutton.

- JASON TAN

“I think they’re a little bit like people: they become more complex, they become wiser, they become more knowledgeable. Sometimes they become a little less flashy. There’s a lot of pumped up fruit in these youthful wines, and over time, they become a little bit more subtle and a little bit more integrated.”

We’re talking ageing with Penfolds Senior Winemaker Stephanie Dutton, on her first trip to Malaysia to introduce the current Penfolds Collection which, should we say, has different horses for different courses.

Dutton is also Penfolds Country of Origin Group Winemaker and makes two vintages a year in the world’s north and south hemispheres: Australia, California, and now, Bordeaux. It’s a busy afternoon and space precludes our conversation about her experiences, there but here is her relationship with wine, in her own words.

“I got into the wine industry because wine was a hobby. People often say to me, oh, when you go home at the end of the day, the last thing you probably feel like is a glass of wine. And I say, no, no.”

WINE ME

While there are those who’ve turned the art of identifying good and great bottles of wine into a career, Dutton shares that wine is ultimately meant to be enjoyed—whatever your tastes are.