Winemaker -South Australia

Lucy Kippist

After spending most of his school holidays amongst the vines of one of Perth’s oldest wineries, Tom Riley had a better chance than most of becoming a winemaker.

“The winery was built in 1886 in a town called Toodyay. My grandfather ran it and now my uncle runs it.

“I have really strong memories of it when I was a kid and harvest time,” Mr Riley said.

A Bachelor of Science, Horticulture and Viticulture graduate from Adelaide University, Mr Riley won the inaugural Beringer Blass Wine Estates prize for aptitude and excellence in 2002.

The prize comprised cash and also a job as a trainee winemaker at the Wolf Blass winery in the Barossa Valley for the 2003 vintage.

After six months as a trainee, Mr Riley became an official winemaker and continued to work at Wolf Blass until 2006, when a position came up at Penfolds winery.

At 28, Mr Riley is the youngest member of the Penfolds team, based in the Magill Estate of South Australia.

“Our team consists of one chief winemaker, three people in red and two winemakers in white. I work in red as an operational winemaker and I report to the senior winemaker. As a team we report to the Chief,” he said.

As an operational winemaker, Mr Riley is responsible for approximately 300 vineyards, a role that he says requires an enormous amount of passion and energy.

“I am responsible for the virtue and the quality and style of our batches and I am completely focused on making the best wine,” he said.

Mr Riley describes the vintage period, between February and April in Australia, when the grapes are picked and harvested, as the best part of his job.

“I love the thrill of the vintage period. We harvest about 16, 000 tonnes every year in those two months and we work about twelve hours a day.

“It can be a very high pressure working environment and you still need to be able to taste properly. You need to be focused and uncomplicated,” he said.

When the vintage season is over, Mr Riley says a typical day is spent at the computer or tasting wine.

“You trawl between making decisions, blending and tasting. You do a lot of tasting – 50 wines a day is pretty normal,” he said.

A photographer and painter in his spare time, Mr Riley says the “aesthetic qualities” of wine-making could make it comparable to art.

“Winemaking is all about trying to construct something. There is the scientific element and there is also the creative side.

“And because it is a food you have worry about things like hygiene, so it is all about creating a perfect balance between these things,” he said.

Mr Riley says a sophisticated sense of taste, a good memory and a tertiary education are all vital to becoming a successful winemaker.

“Studying was absolutely critical. Having science under my belt means that I can make decisions more easily and also allows me to ensure better quality control.

“A lot of it comes with experience, but study under your belt helps you focus on your style,” he said.

And as it takes at least one and half years before the winemaker gets to taste the result of his or her hard work, Mr Riley says a fastidious nature and a real passion for wine doesn’t hurt either.

“If you are not committed to quality there is no point. You have to be a perfectionist. Quality is everything in wine,” he said.