For Peta Baverstock, the creator of Cuvée-Co in Penola, carving out a niche in Australia’s competitive wine landscape wasn’t about inheriting a legacy; it was about foresight and a deep passion for a single style of wine.
Graduating with a degree in agricultural science, majoring inoenology from Adelaide University in 2000, Baverstock found herself among third and fourth-generation winemakers.
As a first-generation winemaker without a family vineyard or established brand to fall back on, she saw a unique opportunity in sparkling wine.
“That, for me, was a bit of a crystal ball moment back in my early 20s, and I decided to pursue just one style of wine making,” Ms Baverstock said, noting that the sparkling category has continually grown over the last 25 years.
Her path to mastering the craft involved working alongside renowned industry figures.
Baverstock spent seven years at Hardy’s under the mentorship of Ed Carr, often regarded as Australia’s “sparkling guru”.
She described this period in the early 2000s as her “apprenticeship,” where she gained invaluable experience making an array of sparkling wines using fruit from all over Australia.
A pivotal moment in her career came in 2005 when she won a scholarship hosted by Bollinger in Champagne, France.
This experience deeply influenced her brand’s philosophy, teaching her how the French “market and make what they’ve been doing for centuries”.
This French influence is woven directly into her brand’s name.
“Cuvée is a French word, equivalent to ‘free-run’ in english and that means, when you take the first fraction of juice from the whole bunches… that’s the highest quality part of the juice”.
The “Co” in Cuvée-Co, however, represents the “collaboration or cooperation”, which she credited as part of her success as a sole trader who buys fruit from top growers and utilises third-party wineries for processing and storage.
Central to Cuvée-Co’s success is the unique landscape of the Limestone Coast.
“What I’ve really noticed is this region is just perfect for making sparkling wine.” MsBaverstock said.
She meticulously sources grapes from across the region to craft her six distinct sparkling wines: Prosecco from the northern inland of Mundulla, Chardonnay from the flint soils of Kongorong in the south, and Wrattonbully in the east along with shiraz and Pinot Noir for her rosé from the sandy coastal soils of Robe in the west.
Beyond winemaking, Baverstock is passionate about consumer education and breaking down wine snobbery.
She delights in her direct-to-consumer sales, viewing mispronunciations – like confusing Prosecco with “prosciutto” – as an opportunity to start a conversation rather than a barrier.
“By the time they leave the cellar door, they’re empowered, and they’ve enjoyed a variety that perhaps they couldn’t say and they didn’t think they’d like,” she said. .
Baverstock is also keen to dismantle stereotypes about sparkling wine drinkers, asserting, “If you think sparkling wine is just for females, it’s definitely not”.
While she acknowledged the wine industry is male-dominated, she maintains a steadfast focus on her craft.
With two and a half decades of dedication, her own brand, a wine bar, and top wine show trophies to her name, Peta Baverstock continues to prove that collaboration, education, and a little bit of foresight can create truly exceptional sparkling wine.
Find Cuvée-Co Wines at POPO in Penola’s main street, online at cuveecowines.com/ or on social media. @popocuveeco
