Meet the Winemaker (Episode 100): David Bicknell, Oakridge Vineyards, by Debra Meiburg MW

Debra meets David Bicknell of Oakridge Wines based in Victoria's Yarra Valley, Australia who specialise in Pinot Noir. With Oakridge a multi-award winner, David tells Debra that the key to success is to stay relaxed about their winemaking, not to try too hard, and treat it as a craft. He explains the challenge for new world Pinot growers is vinage, and how their Pinot vines are "precocious".

David discusses how Oakridge's Over the Shoulder wine -- crafted using the Beaujolais model -- is a bright food friendly wine and how the current trend for Australian wines is highly "un-Australian". He tells Debra how the Oz wine industry has come a long way since the "ugly" Chardonnays of 20 years ago and talks about the honor and pressure that high scores from James Halliday bring, and why he's still not happy with where the winery is currently at.

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• Debra Meiburg
• MW
• Master of Wine
• Hong Kong wine journalist
• wine videos
• winemaker video
• winemaker interview
• James Halliday
• chardonnay
• pinot noir
• Australian wine
• Yarra Valley
• Victorian wine
• Oakridge
• David Bicknell
• Australian winemaking trend
• alcohol in wine
• Over the Shoulder pinot noir
• minerality