Steve was interested in wine from an early age. He developed an understanding of horticulture and innovation in the wine industry from his late father, Ron. Taking his first job with Lindemans in 1978, he received sponsorship to complete a Bachelor of Applied Science in Oenology at Roseworthy. Seven years at Lindemans exposed him to some of Australia's finest winemakers including John Vickery, Philip Laffer and Karl Stockhausen.
In his role at DeBortoli, Steve seeks character and detail in wines by picking fruit with natural balance and with considered and judicious use of oak. He admits to being obsessed with Pinot Noir, he says, “Pinot, while time consuming and lots of manual work, when handled gently and not overly macerated is a wine that articulates the characters of the site so well”. Steve was awarded the 2007 Winemaker of the Year by Gourmet Traveller Wine and appointed Chairman of Judges at The Royal Melbourne Wine Show in 2008.
Steve is a presenter at the ‘Mythbusting - Australia’s regions, sites, innovations, quality, diversity and characters’ business session.
