Get to know Alister Timms, Winemaker and Vineyard Manager at Shadowfax Winery.
No stranger to the world of winemaking, Alister grew up on his family’s vineyards on the Bellarine Peninsula, planting vines from the age of 10.
After completing degrees in Science and Oenology, Alister started working at Shadowfax as Assistant Winemaker, a position he held for three years before moving back home to run his family’s winery Kilgour Estate.
In 2008, Alister returned to Shadowfax to manage the winery’s vineyards and assist with the winemaking. Alister has been Chief Winemaker at Shadowfax since 2017 where his love for the region can be found in the wines he produces with balance and finesse.
What got you into wine?
Growing up on the family vineyard in Geelong. I remember helping plant grapevines at ten years of age. From then on, it was in my blood.
Which of your wines best defines what you’re about? (Tell us why too.)
Our K Road Shiraz. Working with Shiraz grapes from our vineyard in gives reward in this wine. The grown tannins, spicy red fruit fragrance and its persistence, while keeping light on its feet, the wine is unmistakably Werribee Shiraz.
Where are you at on your wine journey?
Beginning to enjoy the wines produced from the extensive plantings that we’ve undertaken at Werribee. Just getting to know how to grow the fruit to make the wine reflect the vineyard.
What is your winemaking mantra? OR Do you have a favourite quote about wine or winemaking?
Taking a vineyard to glass approach. Everything we do in the vineyard and winery will reflect the first and last glass of every bottle.
What’s the one thing in your Werribee wine world that you can’t live without?
The Shadowfax Luncheon table. Many a wine-tasting for comparison happens here. Wine ideas from that morning you had in the vineyard or one brought back from a journey overseas are always discussed. Conversations are often broad, and no subject is off limits. The table is thought provoking, profound and rambling chaos at any one time. It helps keep things grounded, especially when having a midnight snack and a wine, while waiting for the press to finish during vintage. There is never a dull moment there, it keeps your ideas real and ideas fresh and young.
What's happening at Shadowfax this Autumn?
This is one of the busiest times of the year for us at Shadowfax.
We’re in the full swing of vintage so we’ll be picking and pressing all the fruit from our vineyards at Werribee, Geelong and the Macedon Ranges and turning it into wine. A few sleepless nights will be had by all of us in the wine team, but we will have a lot of fun along the way.
The restaurant and cellar door are also set for a busy time especially with Easter and Mother’s Day coming up as well as a host of weddings. It’s the best time to visit as the weather is still mild and you can grab a table in the sun, overlooking the vineyard.
Head Chef Ben Darcy will be changing the menu to feature all the best produce of the season and we’ll have a few new wine releases including the 2021 Minnow Grenache Mataro and well as our 2021 Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Macedon Ranges.