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Stella Bella
 
9 June 2020 | Stella Bella

Luke Jolliffe nominated for Winemaker of the Year

Leading southern Margaret River winemaker Luke Jolliffe has been named as a finalist in this year's Gourmet Traveller Wine Winemaker of the Year awards. For 21 years now, the Winemaker of the Year awards has shone "a light on those responsible for creating Australia’s finest wines."

Luke has long been a champion of southern Margaret River fruit and with the wealth of trophies that have followed he has shown that wines from the southern climes of Margaret River have a "finesse and class to equal the best in the region."

As Huon Hooke noted, “Luke’s Luminosa and Suckfizzle wines are at the pointy end of Margaret River’s quality tree. He’s an exciting winemaker who has a great deal more to show us.”

Luke Jolliffe grew up in the Clare Valley wine region and completed his Bachelor of Agricultural Science (Viticulture major) at Adelaide University. After graduating in 1999, Luke joined Hardy’s Tintara operation in McLaren Vale as Viticultural Technical Officer, where he stayed until 2003. Whilst working at Tintara he also completed his Post Graduate Degree in Oenology. Luke later jumped at the opportunity to work in Western Australia with Forest Hill as their Viticulturist. Over time he was appointed as Operations Manager for Forest Hill and spent more time in the winery as a consequence.

In 2005 Luke visited the Rhône Valley, where he worked over the vintage season at Raymond Troillas, based in St Joseph. Then in 2007 an opportunity arose with Stella Bella to work as a vintage assistant, which he embraced, quickly being promoted to Assistant Winemaker in June 2008, Winemaker in November 2009 and finally Chief Winemaker in July 2013.

Luke Jolliffe said "When I received a phone call from Peter Forrestal saying I was being nominated for Winemaker of the year at Gourmet Traveller Wine, I was absolutely pumped. It was an incredible surprise and I still feel extremely humbled to be considered. My primary focus has always been to make distinctively Southern Margaret River wines, each with an individual personality."

"So this kind of recognition, while amazing has never been a primary focus but it certainly is the best possible re-assurance that my team and I are farming and creating unique wines of the highest quality with a distinct Southern Margaret River character. Especially when considering, in my opinion, the standard of Australian Wine at the moment is incredibly high."

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