The Master of Wine.

For a long time, wine was no significant thing for Ned Goodwin. The former model had lived everywhere from Paris to

New York, Tokyo and LA, often working in hospitality as a means to an end. That was until his boss at a top LA restaurant asked why he wasn’t working in wine, considering he was forever reading about it. “I was about 26 and finally came to the conclusion he was right, given my obsession with wine,” Ned says. And so his path was set.

“For cellaring, you need a dark area with a constant temperature and some humidity, so cabinets are great for peace of mind.”

Ned’s first cellaring experiences involved Burgundy and date back to his time as a sommelier at celebrated former NYC venue Veritas, circa 1998. “It had the greatest wine list known to mankind,” he says of the 3500 bottles offered at the time. And while Ned hasn’t had any cellaring disasters of his own, he’ll never forget dropping a magnum of 1978 Henri Jayer Premier Cru Cros-Parantoux VosneRomanee at Veritas. The wine today would be worth around $30,000. “I saw my future flash before my eyes,” he recalls, although he managed to stay in the job. After spending 13 years in Japan following his time in the US, Ned is now back in Australia – and a member of the Halliday

Wine Companion tasting team. His wine collection comprises Barolo and other Piemonte styles, some iconic Australians – with a penchant for Sorrenberg Gamay – plus wines from the Loire Valley and also Champagne. He divides his wines between a Vintec cabinet for ageing and a bar fridge for the bottles that are ready to drink.

And Ned’s best cellaring tip? “Don’t be depressed by your inability to buy great Burgundy – there is always somewhere new to discover. Look to high-altitude Spain, the Languedoc, Pyrenees, Loire Valley and the southern Rhone.”