Winemaker Notes
grapes were always a part of their production, but it was not until the third Australian generation of the family took the reins that the family name finally went on a bottle of wine.
All wines for the Nugan Estate range are sourced from select vineyards to produce premium wines for the domestic and export markets. The winemaking team are dedicated to producing premium wines from select vineyards in the King Valley, Langhorne Creek, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra, and locally in the Riverina.
Daren Owers, Chief Winemaker, has been with the winery since 2000. Daren began as a Lab Technician at Nugan Quality Foods. When Nugan diversified into winemaking Daren was appointed Assistant Winemaker for the first commercial vintage in 2000. He commenced a Bachelor of Applied Science (Wine Science) at Charles Sturt University. In 2003, Daren became Senior Winemaker and has achieved many accolades, such as Young Winemaker of the Year, awarded by the Australian Winemakers Society.
Boasting a strong food and wine culture dominated by a large Italian-Australian population, Riverina is actually a diverse agricultural region centered at Griffith, 275 miles southwest of Sydney. While its Mediterranean climate allows plenty of experimentation with Italian grape varieties, Chardonnay has typically been the most popular variety here. Riverina is also noteworthy for the production of botrytized Semillon made in the style of Sauternes.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”