A FOURTH generation Coonawarra winemaker has been named a “young gun” of the industry, forging his own path in the family business.
Raised by a Coonawarra family synonymous with the wine region, Dan Redman is cementing his legacy after being announced as a finalist in the Young Gun of Wine awards last week.
Dan joins fellow Coonawarra winemaker Peta Baverstock and Robe’s Alice Davidson in the top 50 national list with the trio among 19 South Australians contending for the coveted number one spot.
The top 50 also includes 13 winemakers from Victoria, eight from Western Australia, seven from New South Wales and ACT and one from Queensland.
With his family’s ties to win in the region dating back to 1901 when great-grandfather Bill Redman learnt the winemaking craft under the guidance of Ewen McBain at John Riddoch’s winery, Dan has grown up with a wealth of knowledge at his fingertips turning this into a budding career in the industry.
After time away at university and working in different areas of the industry, Dan returned to Redman Wines to work full time around 10 years ago and has since been joined by younger brother Mike in 2016.
The pair have worked under the tutelage of their father Bruce with Dan holding the position of winemaker in recent years.
This family link and solid grounding in Coonawarra spurred Dan to enter this year’s young gun competition after many years honing his skills.
“The past few years we have not really seen Coonawarra or the Limestone Coast represented,” Dan said.
“I think my biggest aim was to get some good promotion for the region and my family out there.
“We’re incredibly lucky to live in a place like Coonawarra so I’m hopeful I can get us noticed.
“It was a bit nerve racking but I’m proud and definitely humbled to be announced as one of the top 50 in Australia.”
Entrants were tasked with nominating two of their favourite wines into the competition which they believed best represented their style.
Dan selected two 2016 vintage wines, a cabernet sauvignon and The Last Row shiraz.
“I think cabernet is pretty synonymous with Coonawarra so it was an obvious choice,” he said.
“And The Last Row is a small production wine from 85-year-old vines, I get to have a little bit of a play with this one and use some different techniques so I thought it showed a different style.
“Most importantly they’re both wines I love drinking.”
When it was announced he had made the top 50, Dan was away for a brief holiday in Robe with his wife and children.
“When I got the call I turned to my wife and told her and she responded with something like ‘well done, can you go and round up the kids though?’,” he joked.
“It was a little short-lived but very humbling.”
While representing his family on a national stage is slightly daunting for the young winemaker, Dan said he was honoured to do so.
“I am aware of how much of a privilege it has been to grow up here,” he said.
“The winemaking industry is competitive so to have the good fortune of being a fourth generation maker does not go unnoticed or unappreciated.
“I am incredibly grateful to my entire family for supporting me along the way and I hope I can do them proud.”
Dan also commended Ms Baverstock and Ms Davidson for their recognition in the list.
“It’s so exciting to have both of them in the top 50 as well,” he said.
“They’re both doing some really interesting and different wines which is really exciting.
“Plus they’re doing their bit for gender equality which I think is awesome.
“I’m really proud to be presenting the Limestone Coast alongside them.”
Awards founder Rory Kent said each year the top 50 list was harder to refine.
“This demonstrates the increasing quality and calibre of new wine labels in Australia,” he said.
“Added to that, there’s a diversity of people, places and paths to wine, which makes the list so compelling and creatively igniting for the direction of Aussie wine.”
This year’s judging panel tasted around 250 wines over two days to determine the top 50 list.
The public can get a taste of the exciting mix of wines in the top 50 with a special showcase event in Melbourne on April 13.
The final 12 will be announced late April, with the public then being able to decide the “People’s Choice” via tasting events in Sydney and Melbourne.
The winners will be announced at an invitation-only trophy presentation in Adelaide in June.
Visit younggunofwine.com for more information.
