 |
| PEOPLE |
Mark Davidson – Managing Director/Chief Winemaker
 Mark is married to Lou Davidson with two daughters, Samantha and
Eliza. While working as an HR Trainer/Psychologist for the Australian
Government in the late 1970s, he commenced Viticulture and Wine
Science training at Riverina College NSW (now Charles Sturt
University). In 1985 Mark began working at this newly purchased
winery in the Hunter Valley and took up the roles of Board Chairman
and Managing Director, with day to day responsibility for the whole
business including winemaking and viticulture.
In purchasing the Orange vineyards in 1997, Tamburlaine took a
significant step forward in terms of quality and versatility of its wines.
Mark was the inaugural winner of the ‘Hunter Vigneron of the Year’ in
1998. Mark has been a past board member for the Australian
Winemakers Forum, Hunter Valley Wine Industry Association and
Hunter Valley Wine Country Tourism and today is a board member for
two Australian private companies as well as a Director of his
Australian Wine Bar in Guangzhou, China, and consultant to a winery
venture in Shandong, NE China.
All vineyards in the Hunter Valley and Orange are certified with the
Biological Farmers Federation, where Mark is the current Convener of
the BFA Vignerons Advisory Group.
JONATHAN SCOTT – Executive Director/Export
 In 2006 Jonathan joined the Board of the Tamburlaine Wine Group as
Executive Director – Export. Jonathan and his family have been
Tamburlaine shareholders since 1985. Jonathan holds a Bachelor of
Commerce from the UNSW and is a qualified Chartered Accountant.
Jonathan Scott, has had a 25 year involvement in the development
and success of Australian wine on the world scene. As Australian
Trade Commissioner to London (1985 to 1989), Jonathan was
instrumental in establishing Australia’s first overseas wine marketing
office. In 1997, Jonathan was appointed Chief Executive of the
Australian Wine Export Council (AWEC), a position he held for nearly
9 years.
Jonathan also currently writes regular articles for the Australian Wine
Industry Journal where he is Associate Editor of the magazine and a
member of their Editorial Advisory Panel.
Jonathan has proud historical connections with Australia’s early wine
industry development, as his French Great-great Grandfather, Jean
Theodore DeRavin was one of Australia’s earliest wine makers in the
Bendigo region of Victoria in the 1870's.
PAT MOORE – Winemaker
 Before coming to Tamburlaine Pat had worked in Medical Pathology
laboratories for around 10 years before graduating with a Wine
Science degree from Charles Sturt University in 2001. Prior to
coming to Tamburlaine in 2007, he worked in the cool climate regions
of Victoria, New Zealand, Oregon (USA), as well as the warmer
Hunter Valley. “Being at Tamburlaine allows me to work with five
white and eight red varieties from three distinctly different regions;
Orange, Hunter and Mudgee. To me, this is a winemakers dream, but
it also makes for one long vintage!”.
Wine making has been in Pat’s blood. In 1859, his great, great,
great, grandfather, Peter Crebert, sold the first commercial available
wine in the Newcastle District, producing 500 gallons per year. The
winery and vineyard were known as “The Folly” and was situated
prior to what then became the site of BHP Steelworks.
Pat is passionate about reducing man’s footprint on this earth. “I
have seen that environmentally sustainable activities that can be
achieved around the house, can also be achieved on a commercial
basis. Here at Tamburlaine I am actively involved in winery solid
waste and water recycling, organic application in the vineyard, and
bush regeneration of our waterways.”
Pat is married with a wife and four children.
LOU DAVIDSON – General Manager Weddings / Corporate
Events
 Born and educated in Newcastle NSW into a family of five girls (“my
poor dad, but he did always insist that the family pets were male,
albeit neutered!”..). Lou met Mark at Newcastle University in
1974 where they both gained a B.A., majoring in Psychology. She
then went on to teach Primary/Infants school and married Mark in
1978. Lou's teaching career was interrupted twice when they had
their two (“gorgeous”…Lou) daughters, Samantha and Eliza.
When Mark and Lou purchased the winery, Lou retired from teaching
and exchanged her ‘teaching hat’ to run the cellar door /
administration / accounts / and membership club. According to Lou
“in the early days it was all hands on deck, with family and friends
rallying around to help on busy weekends and at vintage time. The
girls were even adept, at the ages of 2 and 4, at helping round up the
few cattle we had on the property!”.
As the new business grew, Lou was able hand over her mid-week
roles to the newly recruited team and went back to working at cellar
door on weekends and teaching language, art, music and PE, at local
schools during the week. She also continued to study, starting her
Masters in Educating the Gifted and Talented and a post-grad course
in Japanese. She also won a scholarship (at the grand age of 44…Lou)
to go to Tokyo to live in a language college for a month.
In 2001, Tamburlaine built the new function centre (The Members'
Lodge) and in 2003 Lou again swapped her 'teacher's hat' to build up
the corporate and wedding function business, another string to the
Tamburlaine bow. Today, Tamburlaine has achieved industry
recognition as one of the best wedding venues in the Hunter region,
and in the last year, the centre proudly hosted the wedding of
daughters Samantha and Eliza. Both Samantha and Eliza contributed
to Tamburlaine during the early years, doing cellar door hosting, lab
and winery work and outside tastings, but left to pursue their
University degrees. Today Samantha works for Macquarie Bank and
Eliza is a Pre-school teacher.
“ For now I think I will be wearing this hat for a while....it still fits and
feels just right!! (perhaps my next hat will have 'granny' written on
it....no pressure girls!!)” Lou Davidson
PETER WINDRED – Australian Sales and Marketing Manager
 Like many in the wine industry, Peter has gone through a few career
changes to end up in wine. One of six children, he started his career
as a geologist, then a minerals analyst/economist, then project
finance, before chasing his passion in wine. In the wine industry has
worked previously for De Bortoli in Melbourne, as a Sommelier and
finally to Tamburlaine.
Peter says “before I started at Tamburlaine, I wanted to work at a
winery where the wine was very important, the people friendly and
passionate about what they were doing. The organic commitment is
very important in so many ways, not the least being beneficial in wine
quality. With Tamburlaine’s unique Members club, its great product
offering, position as the Australia’s largest organic winery, this is truly
a unique and exciting company to be involved with”.
Peter is responsible for all domestic sales, including the cellar door,
Tamburlaine club membership, wholesale sales, along with
marketing, and branding.
JAN WILLIAMS – Cellar Door Manager
 It’s been 15 years since Jan first began at Tamburlaine. Says Jan,
“since I started, I consider myself to be very fortunate to have met so
many great people at the Cellar Door, many of whom became
Members and in some cases, personal friends”.
How did she get here? A country girl, not by origin but definitely at
heart, she holds dear the years spent on the family farm in the
Belford area of the Hunter Valley where she helped run a small
business, which also allowed her the opportunity to indulge her love
of horses. The property location is historically important as the
location where James Busby first planted vines in the Hunter Valley,
and the property known as ‘Kirkton’ is claimed to be the site of one of
the first commercial vineyards in Australia. Although the vines had
long gone, the days on the farm fostered a keen interest in the wine
industry and, as fate would have it, Jan one day found herself on the
road to Tamburlaine. When Jan arrived at Tamburlaine in July 1994,
it didn’t take her very long to realise that she had found her niche.
This was her style of business, family owned, run with energy and
passion that was infectious!
Jan has always been an advocate of “ the healthy state of being” and
has an absolute affinity with the company’s philosophy and
commitment to organic production.
Jan would love you to visit her and the Cellar Door Team!
GARY JENNER – POKOLBIN VINEYARDS
 Gary Jenner has been at Tamburlaine since 1992 and knows every
vine at the Pokolbin Vineyard like the back of his calloused hands.
Married with two girls. Gary is involved in all aspects of the vineyard
and he is also involved in grape processing in the winery during
vintage. During his time at Tamburlaine Gary has witnessed the
conversion of the vineyards to organic. According to Gary ‘when most
of the organic changes were implemented, the vines originally took a
while to adjust to new organic treatment. We are now starting to see
the benefits of organic conversion with better quality fruit with vines
with leaf and bunches more in balance’.
CLAYTON KIELY – ORANGE VINEYARDS
 Clayton has been working in the wine industry for fifteen years.
During that time he has been involved with the construction and
planting of approximately 2000ha of vineyards in the Orange,
Canowindra, Cowra and Young districts.
He began managing the Tamburlaine Orange vineyard back in 1999
and has been involved with its transition to A grade organic status. In
that time he completed his studies in wine grape management
through Sydney University.
Clayton has a particular interest in biodynamics and its benefits to the
soil, and sustainability in agriculture. Outside work he has keen
interests in fishing, camping and the development of his home herb
garden.
BRUCE BROWNE – MUDGEE VINEYARDS
 Tamburlaine sources organic certified fruit from Mount Frome
Vineyards, located near Mudgee, NSW. Bruce has extensive
knowledge and experience in grape growing and sourcing wine grape
fruit. Bruce Browne owns the property and is also a consultant
horticulturalist and contractor. In the late 1990s Bruce was
responsible for sourcing some 35,000t of fruit for Southcorp Wines
(which has now been absorbed by the Fosters Group) and supervised
some 600 contract growers.
JUSTIN ENRIGHT – WATTLEBROOK VINEYARDS
Justin has been with Wattlebrook since 1999. Over this time he has
made the move towards lessening the use of chemicals and
increasing attention to canopy management and vine health. This
approach has not only led to an increase in fruit quality but has
assisted in the transition to organic certification. |
|
 |
|
