Our Winemaker
Mick’s thirst for knowledge and passion for making great wine has taken over from his former life and if he is not in his winery or the vines, you may find him doing tastings to visitors at Jester Hill Wines.
Mick’s attention to detail, with support from Stephen Oliver, Consultant Winemaker, together produced Winestate’s Runner Up Shiraz of the Year 2014 amongst numerous other awards including gold at the Australian Small Winemakers’ Show.
2012 saw Mick produce and make his first solo vintage. Achievements include 2012 Touchstone Shiraz with multiple gold medals and trophies and the 2012 Touchstone Petit Verdot in the Top 5 at Winestate Magazine for Best Alternative Red across Australia and New Zealand.
In 2023, Mick was awarded Winemaker of the Year at the Queensland Win Awards.
PAST WINEMAKERS
ester Hill has been fortunate from the beginning to have had some very talented people as winemakers…
James Janda 2004 - 2010
From 2004-2010 James Janda was employed full time as a winemaker and viticulturist. James was passionate about vines, growing premium grapes and the processes involved in producing hand-crafted wines. James studied and worked under the third generation winemaker, Andrew Hickinbotham, in the beautiful Pinot country of the Mornington Peninsula. He was always excited about the Granite Belt and its ability to produce world-class wines.
STEPHEN OLIVER 2010
In early 2010 James moved to the Yarra Valley with his family and late 2010 Stephen Oliver became our contract winemaker. Steve and Kevin work hand in hand with us to ensure quality grapes produce quality vines! 2012 was a landmark year for Jester Hill Wines with our 2010 Shiraz taking out Champion Mainstream Red and Champion Wine of the Show at the 2012 Queensland Wine Awards. Our 2010 Shiraz ended up with two trophies and multiple gold medals and our 2009 Shiraz also won a gold medal – all thanks to the handywork of Steve and Mick.
