Meet the Winemaker
Stuart draws on all of his skills and knowledge he has gained throughout his wine journey. He limits his winemaking techniques to what he calls "basic principals"; where he uses only fundamental, time-honoured methods to get the most out of his grapes and wine.
"Watched, not Worked. Simple and Pure. No smoke, no mirrors."
Stuart Dudine created Alkimi Wines out of a quest to sculpt wine by choosing parcels of grapes which reflect his winemaking philosophy. In his words; 'To find vineyard parcels that perform exceptionally well where their roots lay, year in and year out. No matter the season, wet or dry, cool or warm.'
He strives to create unique and individual wines through expertise and experience, rather than product and artefact.. He believes the best wines are the purest wines; wines which exhibit the grapes they were produced from.
His experience is varied; pieces of the puzzle coming together to inspire and direct.
From his time in Europe at Emmerich Knoll in Austria, Stephene Ogier and Chateau Montredon in France, he learned the ideals of making wine which focussed on how the characteristics of the vineyard could be garnered to enhance the innate qualities of the grapes in order to bring out the best in the wine.
His love and passion of the Rhone sprung from his time at Henschke, South Australia, where he experienced for the first time the Rhone varieties and qualities of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre displayed by Australian grown grapes yet handled with the finesse of the old world winemaking of France.
Stuart's admiration of the Rhone style interpretation grew further during his experience of vintage at Yarra Yering, in the Yarra Valley, Australia, where he was further immersed into a traditions of European winemaking where the touch of a winemaker was light, enabling the wine to take its course from the very nature of which it was borne.
Stuart has been living and working in the Yarra Valley since 2012, most notably, he worked as Winemaker with Mac Forbes Wines. Stuart focus' his attention on the Yarra Valley, yet he sources fruit far and wide in Victoria to ensure the best growing conditions for the specific varieties. He believes that the Yarra Valley has a great potential for the Rhône Valley varieties.
He secured a silver medal at the Yarra Valley Wine Show in 2015 for his 2014 'The Good Earth' Syrah, his first ever wine release into the market under his own label. Since then, Stuart has continued his success at well respected national wine shows and with esteemed wine writers throughout the world.
In 2017 Stuart begun farming his own vineyard. An important step for a producer who is always focused on quality and technique.
It is only natural that the drive of Alkimi is to produce wines which pay homage to the old philosophy of winemaking, where tradition melds with the annual delivery of a vintage held in the hands of nature, artistry and sometimes synchronicity.
He strives to create unique and individual wines through expertise and experience, rather than product and artefact.. He believes the best wines are the purest wines; wines which exhibit the grapes they were produced from.
His experience is varied; pieces of the puzzle coming together to inspire and direct.
From his time in Europe at Emmerich Knoll in Austria, Stephene Ogier and Chateau Montredon in France, he learned the ideals of making wine which focussed on how the characteristics of the vineyard could be garnered to enhance the innate qualities of the grapes in order to bring out the best in the wine.
His love and passion of the Rhone sprung from his time at Henschke, South Australia, where he experienced for the first time the Rhone varieties and qualities of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre displayed by Australian grown grapes yet handled with the finesse of the old world winemaking of France.
Stuart's admiration of the Rhone style interpretation grew further during his experience of vintage at Yarra Yering, in the Yarra Valley, Australia, where he was further immersed into a traditions of European winemaking where the touch of a winemaker was light, enabling the wine to take its course from the very nature of which it was borne.
Stuart has been living and working in the Yarra Valley since 2012, most notably, he worked as Winemaker with Mac Forbes Wines. Stuart focus' his attention on the Yarra Valley, yet he sources fruit far and wide in Victoria to ensure the best growing conditions for the specific varieties. He believes that the Yarra Valley has a great potential for the Rhône Valley varieties.
He secured a silver medal at the Yarra Valley Wine Show in 2015 for his 2014 'The Good Earth' Syrah, his first ever wine release into the market under his own label. Since then, Stuart has continued his success at well respected national wine shows and with esteemed wine writers throughout the world.
In 2017 Stuart begun farming his own vineyard. An important step for a producer who is always focused on quality and technique.
It is only natural that the drive of Alkimi is to produce wines which pay homage to the old philosophy of winemaking, where tradition melds with the annual delivery of a vintage held in the hands of nature, artistry and sometimes synchronicity.