Peter Lyons

Peter's Story

"I was born and bred in the Riverland, surrounded by vines on all sides. My first job out of school was as a cellar hand with one of the local wineries. My interest turned to passion and I went on to study winemaking at Roseworthy College and never looked back.

Grapes are an agricultural crop and at the mercy of the elements. Every year the harvest is different and I love the challenge of producing great wine every year. I once worked for 36 hours straight, had 4 hours sleep and did another 22 hours because of a hail storm. It was a case of pick it or lose it. Having invested a year in growing the grapes we gave it our all. It was really hard work but I much prefer doing that than all the Paperwork of course!

My fiancé is also in the wine industry, and does all of the shift work and overtime too. She is one of the few people who truly understands the need for a beer at the end of a harvest day.

My finest winemaking moment was winning the jack bail memorial trophy for Best Regional Wine at the 1997 Inland wine show, it was fantastic receiving such recognition for the fruits of my labour.

If I had to offer one piece of advice on what makes a good winemaker, my pearl of wisdom would be...If its not broken, don’t fix it."