2009 Vintage Crew

After a near all-Aussie team last year, this year’s Vintage Crew is something of a United Nations.

Tristan Mugford wasn’t deterred by his taste of Vintage last year and is back again. The family connection is even greater this year with Tristan’s cousin, Sam Mugford, coming from Adelaide, fresh from completing Year 12.

Jeremy Britton who is originally from Tasmania and has most recently been living and working in Queensland is helping in the vineyard with all our existing vineyard crew. He is a hard working fellow with a heavy vehicle licence and therefore plays an important role in helping transport grapes from Ribbon Vale vineyard for processing at Moss Wood.

They are joined by two French visitors, known as the “Fromages” by Vineyard Manager Steve Clarke. Thomas Michon, a Viticulture and Winemaking graduate from the Lysee Viticole de Beaune in Burgundy, has been working for three years at the highly esteemed producer, Meo Camuzet. He is from the village of Cluny near Dijon. Thomas’s father and sister have taken the opportunity to visit Australia for a holiday while he is here.

His compatriot, Audrey Tremeau hails from Mareau Aux Tres, a small village near Orleans. Audrey brings a background slightly apart from our usual collection of winemakers. She holds a Bachelor of Science (Traditional French Products of the Terrior) from the Technology Institute of Aurillac and is travelling Australia accumulating culinary production experience in preparation for returning to France to complete her Masters in world food production and business. We are not sure that her exposure to the cooking styles of the Moss Wood Staff, who are particularly adept at Mee Goreng from plastic packets, will be a positive experience to assist in her future studies. Her mother and father are apiarists and bee keeping is the family business. Audrey worked for three months on Kangaroo Island helping apiarist Brenton Davis to produce the famous honey for which the island is known.

Next on the list is Richard Vuletich, a Kiwi from Hawke’s Bay and holder of the Bachelor of Wine Science and Viticulture from Charles Sturt University at Wagga Wagga. He has a Croatian background and his grandparents started Continental Wines in 1969, by coincidence the same year that Bill and Sandra Pannell started Moss Wood. Richard’s father took over the business ten years later. In 1999 the business was renamed Long View Wine Estate and it processes 100 tonnes of fruit annually.

We also have an Italian connection this year. Jacopo Dalli Cani, otherwise known as “Japo” has been helping us in the vineyard and winery since October. He is a native of the Soave region of Italy and holds a Bachelor Viticulture and Oenology from the University of Padua, with many years work experience at Cantina di Soave. He’s an affable fellow and keen student of wine and very much enjoys working in Australia. He’s also very popular with the female visitors and competes with Alex Coultas for the title of Moss Wood’s cutest guy. Jarod and Josh seem to be getting too old!