Dark Horse Winery of the Year

RENZAGLIA WINES | CENTRAL RANGES | NEW SOUTH WALES

WHILE THE Renzaglia family has a long history of grape growing and winemaking in both the US and Australia, this award comes at a pivotal time for the journey of winery founder and winemaker Mark Renzaglia.

“It’s really hard to put into words. I’m experiencing all kinds of feelings. This just opens up the door for us to continue what we are doing and take more risks,” Mark says. “And while our focus will always be on quality, this award has given us confidence to look toward the future and expand our offering.”

Mark has vivid childhood memories of his father making wine out of their home’s basement in the US state of Illinois, before going on to pursue a career in wine and pioneering grape growing over there. Exposure to his father’s experiences would later lead Mark to purchase 30 acres of land just outside of Bathurst in O’Connell, New South Wales, where he planted one hectare of vines.

The first official wine for Renzaglia Wines came in 2003, but only 10 bottles made it to the dining table. The vineyard remained a passion project while Mark continued to work elsewhere in the industry.

That was until 2011 when Mark, at 55 years of age, decided to go out on his own and turn the winery into a commercial proposition. “I realised how old

I was, and if I didn’t do it then, I knew I would never do it,” he says. “I thought to myself, ‘What are you going to do? Keep going in your comfortable life the way it is or do something you’ve dreamed about your entire life?’. It was then or never.”

Today, Mark and his sons grow chardonnay, cabernet and merlot on their property, and they also source parcels of shiraz, cabernet and chardonnay from nearby Mount Panorama Estate Vineyard. And if you’re wondering why you haven’t heard of Renzaglia

Wines sooner, Mark says this is new territory for him. “It was only five years ago that I built up the courage to start submitting my wine to people and journalists,” he says. “So, this makes you feel like the years of hard work, dedication and doing the right thing does pay off.”

While Mark reckons he only has a good 10 years of hands-on vineyard work left in him, he is looking forward to seeing his sons take the reins at Renzaglia and drive it into the future. “This is what it was all about when we decided to start the winery. It’s really about the next generation.”