By Andy Young
Handpicked Wines has announced that its current Senior Winemaker, Peter Dillon, has been appointed as the company’s new Director of Winemaking.
The move comes as previous Chief Winemaker, Gary Baldwin, moves into the newly-created position of Winemaker At Large, which will see him working to expand Handpicked’s international portfolio.
In his new role Dillon will oversee the production of the full Handpicked portfolio, which currently spans more than 15 regions across Australia and abroad, while also be working with Baldwin on Handpicked’s portfolio expansion plans.
“I’m delighted to take the reins at such an exciting point in the evolution of Handpicked Wines,” Dillon said.
“Our vineyard holdings continue to expand and the quality of our wines is constantly improving. As Director of Winemaking I’ll be aiming to continue this trend, while allowing the true character of our carefully selected sites to unfurl and flourish.”
Earlier this year Handpicked acquired its fourth vineyard property: Wombat Creek, in the Upper Yarra Valley, which will produce “super-premium Pinot Noir and Chardonnay”.
“It’s a winemaker’s dream to work with a vineyard producing fruit of this quality,” Dillon added.
“I also get to push the envelope with our new Trial Batch range of wines for alternative grape varieties and new winemaking techniques.”
Handpicked Wines has also appointed a new National Sales Manager in Tom Lynar, previously of Fine Wine Partners, who will be based at the company’s head office in Sydney.