Meet the Makers – Sue Hodder, Wynns Coonawarra Estate Part 2
Directions
Take an inquisitive, intelligent young girl from a quintessentially Aussie town. Give her room to move, and horses to ride. Imbue her with a profound, innate connection to country. Grow her up at a transformative time of social change and political exuberance.
Encourage her to channel her passion for the land into formal study. Let her crystalize her thinking while travelling the world, then bring her safely home to begin to forge her career. Give her tough challenges, lots of responsibility, generous and talented mentors, and an iconic winery to run...
SUE HODDER – PART 2
WD: Sue, it’s almost 30 years since you started working at Wynns Coonawarra...
SH: I know. I can’t believe it really.
WD: What did you think when you first arrived?
SH: Oh, I thought it was great. It was a good winery, and a heritage label. And there were good wines being made. I felt very privileged to be here. I still feel that.
WD: Wynns does have a wonderful history, going right back to the days of John Riddoch and his ‘Blockers’...
SH: Yes, and the Coonawarra Fruit Colony... and then of course David Wynn and his father in the 1950s, and those extraordinary wines of the 60s and 70s...
WD: We know that heritage is important to wine consumers – and it certainly is to wine marketers – but what does it actually mean for winemakers?
SH: Good question!
Good question? Great answer...
SH: For me, it’s many, many things, and you can't look at any of them in isolation. Take those wines that were made back in the 60s and 70s – they're not only really interesting in themselves, they’re also interesting as the evolution of a style. But you can't ignore all the other factors that influenced them either: the market conditions, the vine age, and the thinking at the time – even things like how profitable the industry was, and therefore was there any opportunity to spend money on vineyards and equipment... Everything has its complex social and climatic and economic context and therefore the wines can't be taken in isolation from all those things... I think about those big vertical tastings that we were so privileged to run a few years back...
In 2017, Wynns hosted an extraordinary vertical tasting of their Coonawarra Estate Cabernets dating back to 1954: 60 vintages in all. (Sadly, WineDown’s invitation was lost in the mail.)
SH: ...in all honesty, tasting those 1960s wines was an absolute lightbulb moment for me. Because these beautiful old wines that were not big, oaky and full-bodied – and weren’t high in alcohol – they had aged so gracefully. And it was a revelation, because, you know in the 90s, medium-bodied wines were regarded as a bit... second rate. It was the big, intense wines that were recognised and critiqued and awarded. Medium-bodied wines just weren’t considered interesting. But, you see, here in Coonawarra, that’s our natural place. And so, tasting these wines from the 60s, and seeing how beautifully they aged and how good they were, was really affirming. It gives us the confidence to make wines as they should be made, here in their natural place.
WD: So, history is important.
SH: Absolutely. But at the same time, we have to make sure that we keep up to date. It's a fine line between heritage and obsolescence.
WD: Tell me about it. So, how do you manage that practically?
SH: There are a few ways. Everybody in the team plays a part...
The team. For the past 25 years, Sue has been assisted by gifted winemaker Sarah Pidgeon; and since 2000, by eminent viticulturist Allan Jenkins.
They’re big on long-term relationships at Wynns.
SH: Sarah and I are both wine judges, and that gives us pretty good insights into what people are doing – and of course there’s all the networking that goes on at wine shows. Then in terms of research, Allan’s team includes two PhD viticulturists, so as well as looking after the vineyards, their job is to ensure we're informed and staying on top of the latest viticultural techniques. Then we just have to make sure that we stay up to date.
WD: You’ve been working with both Sarah and Allan for more than twenty years...
SH: Yes, and in a very small community too...
WD: How small actually is Coonawarra?
SH: Well may you ask! We’ve just had the Census, and we can’t wait to find out what it says. I‘ve always maintained that the population was 34, but apparently it was 138! That’s gotta be Greater Coonawarra...
WD: Either way, I've got more people than that living in my street.
SH: Yes, but then there’s Penola, 10 kilometres away – that’s about two and a half thousand people. And there are actually really good restaurants, so we’re lucky. You know, you’re either a small-town person or you’re not. I think it’s hard for people who have grown up in a city and want to make wine. Many of them choose to work in regions that are really close to the cities, and commute. But I think it’s important, being on the land, and close to the seasons – and living in your community. My house is in our vineyard, right here on the property...
WD: Taking up an unconscionable amount of beautiful terra rossa, I believe?
SH: It’s true! And that's my excuse for not looking after the lawn better – it should be under vine anyway.
WD: Let’s talk about what’s happening right now at Wynns. Vintage ’21 is done?
SH: Yeah. We pick late here in Coonawarra. Actually, we can be the latest region in Australia – even later than Tasmania, mainly because we have (late-ripening) Cabernet. So, it's a combination of climate and variety. Our biggest months are March and April.
WD: So now you can put your feet up until next year...
SH: That’s funny. There are only two parts to our year – Vintage and Not Vintage. And they’re both really busy. The next phase will be Budburst – which happens in spring, obviously. We’ll stay in close contact with our friends at the Bureau of Meteorology in case there's a frost or, God forbid, another hailstorm. And all the while we’ll be keeping an eye on this year’s wines – and also the 2020s, which we'll be getting out of barrel and ready for bottling. Then we have our barrel trials, where we work closely with different French coopers to work out which barrels are best suited for our wines, and those tastings are important. And of course, we’ll be preparing for Wynnsday – tasting, and writing up notes, and getting everything ready.
Wynnsday is the nominated day each year when Wynns launches its latest vintage reds – usually with a series of hosted dinners and tastings. This year, Wynnsday will fall on Wednesday 6 October, although sadly the vast majority of events will be conducted via video. (No matter. You should still wear your lipstick.)
SH: I'm really looking forward to releasing our 2019s this year. The wines are just great. The ’18 and the ’19 are as good a pair of vintages together, as we've ever had in my time here. And there’s nothing better than sharing them with other people...
WD: I imagine there have been a lot of highlights over the past 30 years. What was your proudest moment?
SH: When we did that 60-year tasting in 2017. It was amazing on so many levels – not just looking at the wines, which were incredible, but also seeing the impact of Allan’s work in the vineyards, as the vintages progressed. And it also highlighted the social history – particularly the women’s stories. You know, all the women who came out from Europe after World War Two, who planted the vineyards – Italian and Ukrainian women – their stories are incredible. Like my neighbour Francesca Zema (from nearby Zema Estate). She arrived here from Calabria with her mother, who couldn’t speak a word of English, and would weep every day because it was so cold and so wet, and there was no pasta in the shops... no garlic to improve the flavour of the food. She took English lessons in the Coonawarra Hall...
WD: I know there’s a strong history of women in the region – even going back to the very early days of Riddoch and the Blockers.
SH: Yes, and don’t forget Pam Dunsford – she was at Wynns.
Pioneering winemaker Dunsford was the first woman to be accepted at Roseworthy – the sole female in a cohort of 180 students. She worked with Wynns from 1974 to 1986.
WD: And it’s been you and Sarah for more than a quarter of a century... what a wonderful achievement! Speaking of achievements, I’ve heard about a special skill of yours, and I was just wondering before we finish up, if you’d like to give me a demo of your talent for birdcalls...
SH: Good heavens – look at that!
WD: Eh?
SH: Right on the lawn here. An enormous kangaroo.
WD: What??
SH: He’s huge...
WD: Is there really a kangaroo there?
SH: Yes! A big old grey. They die of old age out here. No cars, no predators.
WD: You're not going to do the birdcalls, are you?
SH: I could but then I'd have to kill you.
WD: Fair enough. Sue Hodder, thank you for your time, it’s been a real delight.
SH: Come and visit us at Coonawarra.
WD: Will there be bird calls?
SH: Bye!