Meet our inhouse celebrity winemaker Tony Winspear, who has been nurturing Balgownie Estate grapevines from bud to bottle since 1994 and looks after our legendary Bendigo Winery and Yarra Valley vineyards to this day.
Tony’s Balgownie career began as a vineyard and cellar hand using traditional, handmade and time-honoured winemaking; vines were hand pruned, hand harvested, vats hand plunged, and skins baskets hand pressed.
He worked his way up the ranks to Assistant Winemaker in 2005 and became Head Winemaker for Balgownie Estate in June 2012.
He studied winemaking at Charles Sturt University Wagga as a distance education student.
Throughout his career, Tony has helped produce premium fruit at other Central Victorian vineyards including Mt Ida Vineyard in Heathcote (a dry grown vineyard neighbouring Georgia’s Paddock at Jasper Hill).
Tony is a hands-on winemaker, and very much at home in the cellar using traditional low intervention techniques. He is driven to continue traditional winemaking approaches, curate a true Balgownie cellaring style, and strives for balance and approachability whilst embracing innovation and sustainability.
Under Tony’s leadership, Balgownie produces elegant cool climate wines from the Yarra Valley and deeply complex and distinguished cellaring styles from the old vines growing in the original Bendigo vineyards.
The Estate has also celebrated numerous awards and accolades including 8 trophies and 28 gold medals at Australian Wine Shows.
In 2002, Tony developed the first Balgownie Yarra Valley Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vintages, of which many celebrated Yarra Valley Estate wines are produced from today.
In 2015 Tony introduced light, low alcohol styles such as the Nouveau Syrah and the incredibly popular Balgownie Rose
2021 and 2022 saw the release of a new Balgownie-Macedon Pinot Noir wine range including two sparkling varieties and two generously reviewed table wines.
James Halliday Wine Companion 2021 awarded Balgownie Estate a highly sought-after 5-Red-Star Winery rating (a truly humbling experience for Tony and Balgownie Estate).
A collection of highly rated premium single vineyard and Estate wines featured in the 2021 edition including; 2017 Centre Block (95PT), Railway Block (95PT) and Rock Block Shiraz (96PT), Cabernet Sauvignon (95PT) and 2012 Estate Chardonnay (96PT).
The Balgownie Wines brand continues to grow, with greater market reach than ever before and Tony’s remarkable vision, dedication, and traditional low intervention winemaking, are testament to its success.
