Anita Bowen

Anita Bowen's Story

  I fell into the wine industry when I fell in the sack with a winemaker.

Sex and Wine- the story of my life.

The winemaker eventually became my husband and, confronted with the annual prospect of becoming a “vintage wine widow”, I turned to the dark side by studying at Roseworthy College and working in vineyards and wineries from 1986.

I had a 6 year hiatus from the wine industry in the early 90’s during which I qualified and worked as a Relationship and Sex therapist, which is NOT to be confused with being a sex-worker! The difference in approach can best be summed up as “aural” versus “oral”

In 1998, we returned to the Barossa Valley and acquired 80 acres of prime vineyard land from which, in 2001, I began to make small amounts of Shiraz off the vineyard, and have continued to do so ever since.

I love that being a winemaker means living seasonally and by the agricultural cycle. Its amazing being intimately involved in the whole process from the vine to bottle and beyond. Plus of course meeting people who appreciate your wine and hearing their stories about enjoying it.

My husband Randolph is my chief sounding board for everything- always listen to him ...well, except when I went against his advice and entered a wine show for the first time(my 2002 Balthazar, the second wine I’d made off my vineyard) in the Barossa Wine Show and it won 2 Trophies! I also couldn’t get by without Vanessa, Matt and Robert who sell my wines in the big OZ cities; Heather-my label/packaging designer; Brett who helps manage the vineyard and Cougar (the vineyard cat) who’s excellent at finding and delivering me live brown snakes to kill.

One of the best moments of my winemaking career was winning 2 trophies the first time I entered a wine show, but the highlight has probably been winning The Shiraz Trophy at the 2008 National Wine Show in Canberra. You can only enter the class if you’ve won a Gold Medal at a major Capital city wine show in Australia and New Zealand, so you’re competing with the best shiraz from both countries.

I think I really showed a commitment to my art when I dressed up in S&M gear (thigh-high pvc stiletto boots, fishnets, pvc uber-shorts, and bustier) whipping barrels for a national ad campaign that appeared in all the wine journals in Australia...with the bi-line “Don’t let your oak dominate”....could have been worse...could have been asked to participate in one of those nude calendar shoots for some poor charity....

If I was to compare myself to a wine I think I would be a well aged, vibrant & complex Sparkling Shiraz-a quintessential Australian effervescent red sparkling wine with balls. (balls = fortitude & not in the literal, slang male-gonad sense)

My favourite saying:

“We all have vices, it’s just that I have every one of them!"

Cheers,

Anita!