Geoff Weaver is a man from another time—a world of steam trains and horse-and-cart milkmen—yet his pristine, cool-climate white wines hold their own with the best of the modern Australian wine scene.
I’ve got to know Geoff pretty well over the years, thanks to my role with his distributor, CellarHand, which gets a mention in this conversation as the importer of Mosel estate Dr Loosen.
I have interviewed him a couple of times before, once about his love of his vineyard in Lenswood, which was damaged by the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires that ripped through the Adelaide Hills shortly after it was planted. The second time was after he got caught in the Cudlee Creek bushfire that struck just before Christmas in 2019. Both are referenced on the podcast.
The conversation is easy to follow but contains numerous references to Geoff’s mentors and peers. Many carry a reputation that has made them household names to this day; some are still growing marvellous wines. Talking about his selection of the Lenswood site, Geoff mentions Dr John Gladstones (1932-2024), one of Australia’s most significant agronomists, often referred to as the godfather of Margaret River. In his early years, Geoff mentions three men with a huge legacy: Colin Gramp, great grandson of Orlando founder Johann Gramp (Orlando spawned the Jacob’s Creek brand); Karl Seppelt, whose grandfather established Seppeltsfield in the Barossa in 1851, thus planting the roots of the Seppelt brand; and Max Schubert, the father of Penfolds Grange. Magill Estate is the Penfolds winery in Adelaide that Geoff visited after his cricket game, and John Duval (who has his own Barossa label these days) is the chap who took the job and became one of only a handful of Grange-makers. Guenter Prass and Mark Tummel were hugely influential during Geoff’s Orlando days and beyond.
Geoff’s agricultural science cohort included lifelong friend Brian Croser, who founded Petaluma and Tapanappa, as well as Robin Day (who planted Hentley Farm), Bill Hardy of the Hardys winemaking dynasty, and Pam Dunsford. In a story and era so blatantly dominated by men, Pam stands out (as always) for being the first to break through practically every layer of Australian wine’s multi-layered glass ceiling—bar those still begging to be smashed.
Craneford Wines is the Barossa winery founded by Geoff’s sister and brother-in-law, Colin Forbes. When he exited that, Bryan Coombe was the viticultural researcher who initially went in on the Lenswood purchase with another brother-in-law, Bevan Roberts. The initial Adelaide Hills gang were Croser, Stephen George (Ashton Hills founder), Stephen and Prue Henschke and Tim Knappstein. The Uraidla Aristologist was the pub they’d meet in.
Staying in the Hills, Geoff acknowledges the community spirit of Murdoch Hills vigneron Michael Downer’s brother, who was fighting fires for the Country Fire Service (CFS). Among his own wines, Geoff mentions Ferus, a Sauvignon Blanc vinified in barrel with indigenous yeasts and aged in neutral oak on its lees—techniques resulting in a complex, textural style that sits apart from the crisp, pungent, lighter-bodied, stainless-steel-raised stereotype.
And lastly, a roll call of other names of friends. Sue Hodder is the much-admired winemaker at Wynns Coonawarra, and Geoff’s regular lunch pals include winemakers Neil Pike (ex-Pikes, now Limefinger), David Muster, Chris Proud, Rob Gibson, Andrew Wigan (ex-Peter Lehmann), Wayne Dutschke and Neil Jericho.
