Real People - Real Wine

With over six years’ experience in the wine game selling wines, we asked Dan some of the reasons why he isn’t wine-ing about his job!

Tim Smith Wines is a Barossa Valley based producer established in 2001 with the first vintage coming about in 2002. Tim Smith holds over 30+ years of hands-on experience working for other producers in the Barossa Valley as well as overseas. From these adventures, Tim felt he needed to start up his own winery and create wines that he could enjoy himself.

Phil's career in wine has been a mix of independent retail in the early 90s, to working and studying in the UK knocking over the first two hurdles to the Master of Wine. After returning to to Australia, he worked for Baily and Baily and then began a lengthy stint in wholesale championing a long list of small, independently owned wineries. He has also worked as cellar hand, picker, pruner and a bunch of other inglorious roles, all to keep his feet firmly on the ground and convey a greater appreciation of what happens before wine makes it to your glass.

My love of a good drop began some 25 years ago whilst working in and subsequently managing retail liquor stores.

I likes most things wine, from dusting an ancient bottle of Blue Nun with a feather tickler to drinking expensive booze that my mates have bought.

I'm a six foot two ex-Rugby player of Irish extraction with a deep love of northern European aromatic whites. I may look like I should be necking hearty reds from a bladder yet I have a cellar full of Riesling. I stopped playing rugby and swapped probing front rowers bottoms with my proboscis, finding much more pleasurable olfaction by pointing said proboscis at a glass of wine instead.

I was always bound for the wine industry. My father had a healthy supply of D'Arenberg reds from the mid-70s to ween me on and I lived a short walk down the road from three wine shops, I had no hope!

As a young girl I used to sit with my Dad when he opened up a bottle of wine, trying to pick up on the flavours, textures and aromas.

My love of food and wine was born out of my experiences running restaurants and bars all across the country. After settling back in Adelaide I have had the opportunity to taste literally thousands of new wines, both on the winedirect.com.au Tasting Panel to help select the wines we stock and as a wine judge for Wine Showcase Magazine.

My first taste of wine seems like yesterday when Dad described to us four kids how the wine smelt like mushrooms, berries and dirt.