William Downie is the poster boy for minimal intervention wine in Australia. Having studied in some of the world’s most prestigious regions for Pinot Noir, he has plumped for Gippsland, the Australian winegrowing region with the smallest production, to set his scene. Bill and his wife, Rachel, bought their farm in 2006 in the foothills of the Strzelecki Range, facing North, with a ski resort in the distance. Not the picture you expect to be painted when you think of Australian winemaking! Bill runs his farm as well as tending to a handful of other plots across Gippsland and Mornington, all planted with Pinot Noir. There was no doubt in Bill’s mind when he committed to Pinot Noir. He enjoys working meticulously and gently to coax the stories out of the vines. He is making wines to tell stories of terroir; not only of place and of climate, but of people, culture and history.

A majority of Bill’s work is done in the vineyard. “I’m a viticulturist. I still don’t really care about winemaking”. His work is meticulous in the vineyards so that winemaking is as simple as possible. He doesn’t believe that is needs to be any more complex, I mean, he doesn’t even own a thermometer! In the winery good practice is a priority though to keep things as clean as possible and by extension, maximise expression and minimise additions.