Very few winemakers have the kind of gig that Peter Gago has – global ambassador for 177-year-old company Penfolds, the source of Australia’s most famous wine, Grange. Penfolds has been rated at various times as either the world’s most successful wine brand or at least one of the top 10, sitting astride a winemaking team that is charged with producing wines increasingly in the realm of luxury goods.
Peter Gago is the fourth Australian to receive the Decanter Hall of Fame award, after Max Schubert in 1988, Len Evans in 1997 and Brian Croser in 2004. That two of the four are winemakers for the same producer, Penfolds, is unique in the Hall of Fame.
Gago has been chief winemaker at Penfolds for 19 years, having taken over from John Duval in 2002. As such he is only the fourth person to have the responsibility for Australia’s most famous wine, Penfolds Grange Shiraz, in the 70 years since it was created in 1951 by Max Schubert.
Although the Penfolds winemaking team is much more than Gago (there are eight other winemakers today, plus two for the fortified wines), he is the one with the profile. He is internationally famous, a vinous rock star. Winemaking in any large company is a team effort, but the example set by the leader of that team is of utmost importance.
EARLY ENTHUSIASM
Gago himself seems to have been purpose-built for the job. A Melbourne University pure mathematics and science graduate (specializing in chemistry) and then a secondary school maths and science teacher, he has the confidence and presence of a born educator. His ‘gift of the gab’ was likely honed in his eight years in the classroom.
This story is from the November 2021 edition of Decanter.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the November 2021 edition of Decanter.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
A Resource for the World? - Argentina is unique in the genetic diversity preserved in much of its vine material. With climate change and disease posing increasing threats worldwide, Catena Zapata winery is asking what lessons can be learned to protect vineyards within and beyond the nation's borders
Argentina is unique in the genetic diversity preserved in much of its vine material. With climate change and disease posing increasing threats worldwide, Catena Zapata winery is asking what lessons can be learned to protect vineyards within and beyond the nation’s borders
Great Cabernets of South America
Other varieties may hog the limelight across South America, but the world’s most popular grape for red wines has played a critical role in the continent's wine heritage. We trace Cabernet Sauvignon’s story here, and recommend 16 benchmark wines to try
PROVENCE by train and bike
With rail links to Paris, Nice, Marseilles and beyond, a vast network of cycle paths and quiet roads, and a plethora of historic wine estates, Provence is an ideal destination for an eco-friendly, car-free and carefree) holiday
IN THE MIX
These days most of the world’s vineyards are planted to just a single variety, but what happens when multiple varieties are planted, harvested and blended together?
Malvasia A BUYER'S GUIDE
If ever a grape was hard to pin down, it'd be Malvasia. Indeed it’s not even a single grape variety. In all of its many varied, and often completely unrelated guises, it has been the mainstay of popular wine styles across the centuries. Our expert takes a closer look...
RIBERA ADOPTS THE NEW OLD WAYS
It’s not so much a new direction for winemakers in Ribera del Duero, but a growing recognition that traditional methods and wine styles set aside by the previous generation can now provide a way ahead to revitalise the region
Roussanne around the world
Up for a challenge? For winemakers as much as wine drinkers, getting a handle on a mercurial grape such as Roussanne isn't easy. But wherever it's grown, when the balance is right, it truly repays the effort
Napa Cabernet 2021
There's a lot of excitement about this vintage, in which conditions were relatively calm and temperatures stable through summer. Ongoing drought reduced yields but intensified flavours, but it means quantities are down and you may need to act fast to secure top wines. Our Napa correspondent selects 60 great wines from more than 500 that he tasted, with many very high scores
10 reason to discover Uruguay
Squeezed between Brazil and Argentina on the Atlantic coast, Uruguay has mostly flown under the tourist radar - until now. Once dubbed 'the Switzerland of the Americas', it's a welcoming country that has much to offer the travelling wine lover
Leo Erazo
The old vines and special terroir of Itata, southern Chile, have beena source of inspiration for this intrepid winemaker. The 2023 fires were a setback, but his commitment to this ancient wine land is undiminished
