Rob Dolan
Winemaker + Managing Director
Years in Industry: 36
Regions worked in: Yarra Valley, Hunter Valley, Coonawarra
Previous life: Physical Education Teacher, Psychologist and Footballer
Character Quirk: Always at stage 5 of a 20 point plan, invented the terrine sandwich, favourite songs are Kokomo by The Beach Boys and Sugarman by Rodriguez
Adrian Santolin
Chief Winemaker
Years in Industry: 18
Regions worked in: Yarra Valley, Sunbury, Hunter Valley, Riverina, Franciacorta (Italy) + Veneto (Italy)
Previous life: Sports Management
Character Quirk: Wants to bring back the 90’s
Han Gao
Winemaker
Years in Industry: 10
Regions worked in: Yarra Valley, Riverland, Pipers River, Bretzfeld (Germany) + Sancere (France)
Previous life: Student – Bachelor of Science + Engineering, Master of Oenology and Viticulture
Character Quirk: One of the best Chinese exports you’ll find, has a talent for disarming people with her sharp sense of humour
Ben Dolan
General Manager
Years in Industry: 8
Regions worked in: Yarra Valley, Hunter Valley, Central Otago (NZ) + Napa Valley (California, USA), Burgundy (France), Beaujolais (France)
Previous life: Business/Sports Management Student
Character Quirk: Knows all the words to ‘How to Make Gravy’ by Paul Kelly
Raphael Michael
Assistant Winemaker
Years in Industry: 2 (paid anyway!)
Regions worked in: Yarra Valley
Previous life: Student – Major in Chemistry + Microbiology, grew up working on his family vineyard
Character Quirk: Lunch room quiz master, creator of hot sauce
Peta Carlson
Laboratory Technician
Years in Industry: 6
Regions worked in: Yarra Valley
Previous life: Myotherapist
Character Quirk: 50% human, 50% hot cross bun, queen of the bitmoji
Alex Andrae
Cellar Technician
What drove you to winemaking?
Coming out of high school I took a gap year to work with for my dad’s building company in Mount Gambier. We did a job at Bellwether Wines in Coonawarra, where I thought the process of winemaking seemed really cool. I enrolled at the University of Adelaide a week later and here I am.
Favourite wine?
My favourite wine variety is Barbera. I’m also a huge fan of natural wines and anything that would be considered funky and a little weird. I love seeing sustainability in viticulture and winemaking, so anything organic or biodynamic is cool with me!
Tom Boyd
Cellar
What drove you to winemaking? I used to work in Hospitality as a server – my favourite part was always tasting wines and making recommendations. So, I thought why not apply to do my first vintage!
Best moment of 2021 vintage? Receiving my Rob Dolan
beanie – because I haven’t taken it off since!
How long have you been in the industry for? 5 years
working in hospitality and this is my second vintage.
Liam Macey
Cellar
Years in Industry: 3.5
Regions worked in: Yarra Valley
Previous life: Duty manager at a winery and restaurant
Character Quirk: : loves to belt out a Daryl Braithwaite tune on a Friday arvo, occasionally dabbles with his own ferments in his backyard
Meg Brodtmann MW
Education + Global Outreach
Years in Industry: 25
Regions: Yarra Valley, France: Loire Valley (Muscadet, Vouvray, Touraine, Chinon, Saumur), Bordeaux (Gironde, St Estephe), Cahors, Armagnac, Languedoc, Roussillon; Spain: Extremadura, Valdepenas, La Mancha; Germany: Rheinhessen, Rheingau; Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Cyprus, Chile, Argentina
Previous life: Medical researcher in Immunology
Quirks: Obsessed with American politics!
Courtney Hill
Direct Sales + Wine Club Manager
Years in industry: 13
Regions: Yarra Valley
Previous Life: Student – Diploma of Viticulture & Environmental Science Degree
Quirks: pizza enthusiast, enjoys eating dinner for breakfast
David Murray
Account Manager
Years in industry: 2
Regions: Yarra Valley, Gippsland
Previous Life: Hospitality superstar
Quirks: Dad joke enthusiast, big dreamer. Sense of humor is so dry that no one thinks he’s funny.
Chris Kennedy
Domestic Sales Manager
Years in industry: 30 years
Regions worked: Yarra valley, Bangkok, and Singapore
Previous life: Owned multiple restaurants and a coffee shop
Character quirk : has an unhealthy relationship with asparagus and is the resident green thumb
Sage Wang
Export Manager – China
Years in industry: 8
Regions: Represented wine companies in Yarra Valley and South Australia
Previous Life: Worked in an accounting firm
Quirks: has a wicked and unsuspecting sense of humour
Mim Storey
Cellar Door Manager
Favourite wines: ALL WINE! Interesting whites and earthy structured reds, I do love Nerello Mascalese from Etna in Sicily.
Years in industry: <1 in the wine industry or >10 in hospo, so depends on how you look at it.
Previous Life: Restaurant manager/ Night owl / Pool Hustler
Holly O’Leary
Cellar Door Wine Specialist
Years in industry: 3 and counting!
Regions worked in: Yarra Valley
Main gig: University Student – Studying Law
Character quirks: Loves roadtrips, everything pink, fur-babies and a good wine and cheese session. Is a grandma 90% of the time and likes to party for the remaining 10%, has questionable OCD.
Jess Phillipi
Cellar Door Wine Specialist
Years in industry: 2
Regions worked in: Yarra Valley
Main gig: Jess is a jack of all trades, and when not at cellar door you can find them working as a singer, dancer, and actor in live theatre, teaching barre class at the gym, working in digital marketing and social media management, or working at Mecca Cosmetica.
Character Quirk: Loves hosting a dinner party and can whip up a seriously good vegan dish! Parent to a 18 year old cat and will happily show photos on request. Jess is also a huge horror film fan.
Amanda Quinless
Cellar Door Wine Specialist
Years in industry: 4 and counting!
Regions worked: Yarra Valley, Rutherglen
Favourite wine: Riesling! – specifically the slatey, minerally kind, also have a soft spot for Nebbiolo.
Past life: Indie game development & graphic design.
Character quirk / fun fact: Enjoys collecting & reading comic books – especially of the horror variety, has tasted almost every Muscat in Rutherglen
Tahra Cannon
Cellar Door Wine Specialist
Favourite wine: I’m an avid Pinot Noir lover, Our Black Label Pinot is my current go to!
Side-gig: Singer, Actor and Vocal Coach with a Musical Theatre degree under my belt
Fun Fact: I’ve been lucky enough to travel the world singing, where I have performed in an array of different audiences. I performed in Times Square for SBS, for the Pope at the Vatican, and so much more!
Jacob Pors
Cellar Door Wine Specialist
Years in industry: 2 years in wine, 6 years in a liquor store. If you can work in a liquor store you can work anywhere.
Regions worked: Yarra Valley
Favourite wine: Spanish Tempranillo
Previous life: Studied creative writing and counselling before entering the world of wine!
Character quirk: I have been running Dungeons & Dragons campaigns for over 15 years, including a 10 year long campaign.
Bruce Phillips
CFO
Years in industry: 17
Regions: Yarra Valley, Nagambie, Yea Valley + Bendigo
Previous Life: everything from shearing, to driving trucks, selling photocopiers + saving lives
Character Quirks: best Grandpa in the world, cracker of Dad jokes, maker of home brew. Thinks it’s the 1980’s
Rachael Hayward
Accounts + Payroll
Years in industry: 15
Regions worked in: Yarra Valley
Previous life: various roles in Medical + Dental industries
Character Quirk: queen of cake decorating, has clocked up more km’s than the Leyland Brothers running her two boys around
Merlot
Chief Cuddle Officer
Belongs to: The Dolans
Years at winery: 3
Quirk: Loves a dip in the fountain and drying off on customers at cellar door, doesn’t understand the definition of no
Larry
x
Belongs to: Ben
Years at winery:
Quirk:
Hector
King of the Barrel Room
Belongs to: Meg
Years at winery: 1
Quirk: Loves finding hiding places around the winery!
Hermes
Guardian of the Laboratory
Belongs to: Peta
Years at winery: 6
Quirk: Serial puppy biter, sits at the table like a human in the lunch room
