Thomas Hordern
Following in his fathers footsteps, this young Aussie winemaker is impressing all with his wonderful wines
- Thomas may be young, but he is a rising star amongst Australia's winemakers. Having been born and raised in the wine industry there is nothing he doesn't know about getting the best out of grapes
- Working alongside Rex D'Aquino, Thomas has access to some of the best grapes in New South Wales. As a result his wines are fruitier than Carmen Miranda's hat!
- Don't just take our word for it, read what one Angel said about his Reserve Merlot "Super, fruity quaffing wine. Just the job in front of a roaring fire" - John Wild
Vineyard Location
Thomas Hordern's Story
Thomas Hordern's Story
"I still remember growing up watching my father run the vineyard with so much pride and watching the joy/pleasure he got from each and every bottle he had his hands in, made me realise that this is the industry that I am meant to be in. He has made me strive to do the best I can, not in just the wine industry but in life in general. One of my favorite times of the year was when I was young during grape picking at Horseshoe Vineyard, my father would allow myself and siblings to pick a couple of kg’s of Semillon each and we would get the opportunity to make our Horseshoe Vineyard Semillon. One of my favorite memories and times of the year, they never tasted like Dads though.
For some silly reason I decided to head off again and pretend to be a Wallaby playing rugby, but it was not for Australia but for Newcastle University for 6 months. Transferred to Sydney University to study Agricultural Economics (Play Rugby) after a very unsuccessful year playing rugby (Studying Ag Eco’s) it was again I headed back to where my heart was, the Hunter Valley.
For the past 5 years I have been involved in every aspect of the wine industry for Hunter Wine Services, tastings, samplings, dealing with clients, running the cellar and especially making wines. Watching the fruit come in from the premium Australian regions like: Hunter, Mudgee, Orange and Barossa has given me a chance and experience to be able work and get hands red with some of Australian finest wine regions.
It does not matter whether it is at the local Denman Wine and Food Affair or doing a tasting in -40degrees in Daqing in the north of China, watching the peoples facial expressions after they taste our wines makes up for the long hours and red hands. To know that in just one taste followed by the next breathe that you’re wine has just rocked there world is what counts to me. The smiles, the dimples and the look in the eyes makes up for the nights on the tractor and all the weekends at work.
The wines that we make at Hunter Wine Services are some of the best Premium Regional Wines in Australia, we have access to some of the best vineyards with in these regions, whether it’s the Barossa Shiraz which was 20% new barrel fermented or the or the Orange Valley colder climate Sauvignon Blanc that we fermented with a hybrid yeast called Fusion to enhance the bouquet, all wines are treated as individual until classing and back blending occurs. Pending on fruit quality and ferment results all blends are different blends.
The worst moment I have experienced in the wine industry is on the 15th of Feb 2010, I got my hand caught in the wine crusher at work, not only did I hurt my self but I let the company down. Due to the extent of my injury I was unable to go back to work until mid May, by this time vintage had almost finished and I was not hands on in the cellar for that time. This accident gave me the opportunity to take more care of not only myself but fellow staff and gave me a heightened awareness of OH&S in the workplace at Hunter Wine Services.
Although this time was not spent in the cellar it gave more time to spend with the company’s clients, this was a very valuable time for me personally. I love the challenge of dealing with clients, it is another side of the industry that I love experiencing and enjoy every aspect of it.
Working for Hunter Wine Services has given me some amazing experiences within the industry, I had the opportunity to do wine education classes in southern China for 5 weeks. This was a great experience to be able to have. To be able to share my love of the industry to people who have never experienced the pleasure of drinking some Australian regional wines. It was a great pleasure to be able to watch the enjoyment and the pleasure of the people as they enjoyed a glass of Hunter Chardonnay. Working within the wine industry in Australia has given my the opportunity to meet some of Australia’s greatest winemakers and also the chance to drink some of Australia’s and the worlds greatest wines. I feel very privileged to be able to talk these people about all different subjects, whether I am trouble shooting or in just need of some advice on a wine. The wine industry is a pleasure to work in, we are all in this family together, for the love of wine, white or red? As long as it’s in a glass no one minds."
