Winemakers
Accolade Wines has some of the most highly awarded winemakers at its helm who have excelled in their field for many decades. Worldly experience, attention to detail, passion and commitment combine to ensure all our wines – from everyday drinking to the very best of what we have to offer – are treated with care and respect. It is through our winemakers that we bring you the diverse styles and varietals that shine in New World climes.
Ari has a Bachelor of Commerce with majors in Economics, Commercial Law and Marketing.
He is passionate about driving top line growth and maximising return to all stakeholders in a sustainable and socially responsible manner.
Our head winemakers have a collective experience of over 200 years in winemaking.
That’s 200 vintages worth of blood, sweat and tears...
eyeballing 20 billion grapes...
tasting over 500,000 wines...
inspecting 400,000 barrels of wine...
and downing enough coffee to keep the world awake for 50 years!
Head Winemakers
Nigel Sneyd
Director of Global Wine, Quality and Compliance
Profile
Nigel Sneyd
Director of Global Wine, Quality and Compliance
Nigel started working in wine at just seventeen years of age and never looked back. He completed his first Oenology degree at Charles Sturt University in Australia and his second at the Université de Dijon in France where he obtained his Diplôme National d'Oenologue as Dux of his year.
His time in France also allowed him to complete internships at Domaine Dujac in Burgundy, Champagne Krug and INRA, as well as to become fluent in French.
He worked as winemaker for Evans and Tate in Western Australia and then managed the AWRI's Extension and Advisory Services while simultaneously working with Tony Laithwaite’s Flying Winemakers programme in France during its nascent years.
He completed his MBA from Monash University before settling in France, firstly as director of BRL Hardy's Domaine de la Baume and later as director of a negociant business specialising in high-end appellation wines from the Languedoc.
Twelve years ago he moved to London to join E&J Gallo's International Winemaking group and relocated to California in 2015 to take up the position of Director of Winemaking. His responsibilities exposed him to winemaking in Italy, Spain, Germany, South Africa, California, Argentina and New Zealand.
In October 2019 he returned to Australia as Global Director of Wine, Quality and Compliance for Accolade Wines.
Ed Carr
Chief Sparkling Winemaker
Profile
Ed Carr
Chief Sparkling Winemaker
Ed Carr is Australia’s most decorated sparkling winemaker and the key figure behind our multi award-winning House of Arras brand.
He has amassed over 60 trophies for the House of Arras, and on two occasions has been awarded Winemaker of the Year, receiving the Gourmet Traveller Wine accolade in 2011 and more recently in 2015 from the Australian Society of Viticulture and Oenology.
Craig Stansborough
Group Premium Winemaker
Profile
Craig Stansborough
Group Premium Winemaker
Born in Gawler, on the edge of the Barossa Valley, Craig grew up with the wine industry around him. He started as a cellar hand with B Seppelt & Son in 1983, firstly at Chateau Tanunda and then later at Seppeltsfield.
Craig joined Grant Burge Wines in 1993 as Cellar Manager and was soon promoted to assistant Winemaker in 1994, Winemaker in 1995 and Senior Winemaker in 1997. His meteoric rise through the company can be attributed to his enormous talents, leadership, inquisitive mind, and his unrelenting passion for winemaking.
While he is passionate about the big full-bodied red wines for which the Barossa is famous, he also believes the region offers an opportunity for creative winemakers to make top quality elegant wines.
Cleighten Cornelius
Senior Winemaker, New Zealand
Profile
Cleighten Cornelius
Senior Winemaker, New Zealand
Like many Kiwis, when he was younger Cleighten chose to travel to Europe during his gap year. It was only fitting that when he returned to New Zealand, he chose a career which would ensure more travel in the future.
After university he again set off to the northern hemisphere to work vintages in France (Chambolle-Musigny), Germany (Rheingau) and Cyprus.
Gerhard Swart
Head Winemaker, South Africa
Profile
Gerhard Swart
Head Winemaker, South Africa
Gerhard comes from a family of farmers in the Overberg region and a career in agriculture was a natural fit for him. He first joined us in 2007 to lead on bulk wine exports for our Kumala brand. With the acquisition of Flagstone Winery in February 2008, he itched to get his hands dirty in the cellar again, so he stepped into the vacancy of Winemaker and ever since contributed to the success of Flagstone Winery.
In 2014 Gerhard became the Head Winemaker of the South African portfolio, overseeing the quality of all the South African produced wines. He still remains the winemaker for Flagstone and making world class Flagstone wines remains his true passion. Gerhard believes that making great wine needs total commitment and dedication and incredible attention to detail.
Winemakers
Ross Pamment
Houghton Winemaker
Profile
Ross Pamment
Houghton Winemaker
Ross had wanted to be a winemaker from an early age, and he began his winemaking career as a Cellar Hand at Houghton in the Swan Valley in 1989.
With a keen interest in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Ross ventured to Burgundy, France, to undertake a vintage with Louis Chapuis of Aloxe Corton. A further two years were spent wandering the wine wilderness of Europe, each experience building his palate and desire to become a winemaker.
His first role out of university was as winemaker at Mountadam in Eden Valley, South Australia before returning to Western Australia to take up a position as Assistant Winemaker with Salitage in the developing Pemberton wine region. In October 1999, Ross rejoined the winemaking team at Houghton in the Swan Valley.
In 2001, he was the inaugural winner of the ‘Qantas Medal’ presented by Australian Gourmet Traveller Wine Magazine. Three years later he was selected as one of only 12 winemakers in Australia to attend the week-long ‘Len Evans Wine Tutorial’, one of the most exclusive wine schools in the world and an experience Ross cites as “once in a lifetime.”
Michael Symons
Stonier Winemaker
Profile
Michael Symons
Stonier Winemaker
Mike began his wine career at Petaluma Winery in late 1989 under the guidance of Brian Croser. Since then he has travelled, studied and worked extensively overseas, including three years in Italy with the famous Antinori family.
Since 2008 Mike has been at Stonier, where his focus is on taking the legacy of Stonier on its evolutionary journey with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Mike’s winemaking philosophy is founded on two principles. First, achieve a natural balance in the vineyards, and second, allow the wine's flavours developed in the vineyard to flourish with minimal intervention in the winery.
Mike Mudge
Petaluma Winemaker
Profile
Mike Mudge
Petaluma Winemaker
Adelaide Hills born and bred, Mike graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree whilst working at the Petaluma winery in the early 1990s. He developed his passion for wine whilst working vintage in Oregon in 1995 and on his return home undertook his degree in Oenology at Charles Sturt University.
Mike was the Sparkling Winemaker for Croser from 2000 and in 2005 was promoted to Petaluma Winemaker in 2005, then Winemaker/Manager in 2010. He was instrumental in the build and transition of Petaluma to its new state of the art winery at Woodside in 2014.
Now in his 30th year at Petaluma he brings a breadth of experience and knowledge in all facets of the business from vine to glass. Mike has been blessed with exceptional vineyards that display the true expression of the varieties that Petaluma produces.
Viticulturists
Samantha Scarratt
Director, Grape Supply
Profile
Samantha Scarratt
Director, Grape Supply
Sam is responsible for all viticulture and grape sourcing for Accolade Wines in ANZ, and has proven success in leading and developing viticulture operations across planning, sourcing, growing and delivery of grapes.
Sam joined us from Lion, where she has spent 11 years working in New Zealand, most recently as viticulturist and viticulture operations manager. Sam has also taken an active role in viticulture in New Zealand, guest lecturing on viticulture at the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology, sitting on their grape and wine advisory committee and on the New Zealand Winegrowers research committee.