2008 kicks off with a bang!

31 January 2008

As you may know Dave Mavor our senior winemaker left us in August 2007 and after five months in France he will be working for Wine Selectors in Newcastle.

Kirrihill Wines, one of the leading producers of Clare Valley and Adelaide Hills wines is delighted to announce the appointment of Donna Stephens as Senior Winemaker.

Established in South Australia’s Clare Valley in 1998, Kirrihill Wines has developed an enviable reputation for innovative, high quality and great value-for-money wines.

Since 2003, under the direction of senior winemaker Dave Mavor, Kirrihill Wines has created a range of critically-acclaimed wines winning more than 500 awards both nationally and internationally.

Following Dave’s six month sojourn in France and his subsequent appointment as a Procurement Manager for Wine Selectors, Kirrihill Wines is taking the opportunity to build on its achievements and strengthen the winemaking team.

Talented winemaker Donna Stephens brings a wealth of experience with her in a career including winemaking roles at McGuigan Simeon, Cranswick Wines, Evans & Tate and most recently, Chief Winemaker for Neqtar Wines.

Donna holds degrees in Environmental Biology and Resource Management from Ballarat University and Wine Science from Charles Sturt University and has been involved in many aspects of the wine business from bespoke winemaking for the demanding UK supermarkets to judging at the Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show.

Commenting on her appointment to Kirrihill Wines, Donna said “I’m really excited about vintage ‘08 and I’m relishing the challenge that cool climate winemaking has to offer. I’m also looking forward to getting my hands on the new varieties in the portfolio“

The winemaking team at Kirrihill Wines also includes winemaker, Julian Midwinter, who holds a degree in Agricultural Science (Oenology) from Adelaide University.

The appointment of Donna comes at an exciting time for the winery as General Manager Grant Norman says “With a healthy increase in sales and the development of new markets, wines and packaging as well as more contract processing 2008 is set to be a great year for the Kirrihill Wines team”