RISING STARS TO LEAD TOWER TO NEW WINEMAKING HEIGHTS

Tower Estate Winery has appointed two of Australia’s hottest winemakers to run the winemaking facility, including the production of Tower Wines. Andrew Leembruggen and Usher Tinkler will be tasked with producing the best wine in Australia from Tower’s vineyards in the Hunter Valley and from select vineyards around Australia from 1 January 2013.

Both under 40 years of age, Leembruggen and Tinkler have quickly excelled in honing their skills at leading Hunter Valley wineries Drayton’s and Pooles Rock and are two of the country’s most dynamic young winemakers.

Leembruggen grew up in the Hunter Valley shoveling grapes from a young age. He has worked in numerous wineries around the Hunter including McWilliams Wines and Mt Pleasant where he was appointed Senior Winemaker in 2002. Leembruggen ’s international experience is vast, he has completed vintages in Southern Rhone Valley, was a winemaker at Chateau Du Seuil in Bordeaux France, and then Domain Francois Villard in Cote Rotie, and has also worked in the Napa Valley California. He returned to his beloved Hunter Valley in 2011.

Tinkler also has strong roots in the Hunter, growing up in Pokolbin on the vineyard established by his grandfather in 1943. He has worked on countless vintages across the Hunter Valley as well as Northern Hemisphere vintages in Burgundy, France. In 2007 he participated in the Len Evans Tutorial, a pivotal moment in his career and is now a regular judge at wine shows around Australia. Tinkler lives and breathes the Hunter Valley wine industry and will be stamping his award-winning style within it for many years to come.

Matt Cowley, Managing Director, Tower Estate Says;

“We are thrilled to have two of Australia’s most talented winemakers take the helm at Tower Estate Winery. We can’t wait to see what this incredibly talented duo have in store for our wines.”

One of Australia’s premier vineyards, Tower Estate Winery has received numerous accolades over the course of the last decade. Most recently the winery scored near-perfect ratings from expert Australian wine critic, James Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion 2013 with all eleven wines entered receiving well above 90/100.

Located in Pokolbin and established in 1999, Tower Estate Winery, run by Andrew Cooper, creates a variety of classic premium wines by selecting the best varietals of fruit and grapes from regions all over Australia. Traditional hand-made, nurturing techniques are labour intensive, but well worth the wait.

Tower Estate includes Relais & Chateaux property Tower Lodge, intimate country guest house, the Convent, the historic 1876 Roberts Restaurant, unique cellar restaurant Nine and a stellar wine offering from Tower Estate Winery. Tower Estate has entered an exciting new phase with the announcement of a dynamic new team and a host plans set to take the Hunter Valley property into the future as the ultimate Australian country experience.

Tower Estate
Halls Road, Pokolbin, Hunter Valley, NSW 2320
www.towerestate.com

Background:
Winner 2012 “Luxury Lodge” World Luxury Hotel Awards
Winner 2011 “Best Luxury Lodge in Australia” World Luxury Hotel Awards
Winner 2011 “Best Restaurant in a Winery” National Savour Restaurant & Catering Awards
Winner 2011 “Restaurant of the Year” Hunter Savour Restaurant & Catering Awards
Winner 2011 “Best Restaurant in a Winery” Hunter Savour Restaurant & Catering Awards
Winner 2010 “Luxury Lodge” World Luxury Hotel Awards
Winner 2010 “Best New Restaurant” National Savour Restaurant & Catering Awards
Winner 2007, 2008 & 2009 “Luxury Accommodation” Hunter Regional Tourism Awards
Winner 2008 “Luxury Accommodation” NSW Tourism Awards
Listing 2005 – 2012 James Halliday 5 Star Winery
Tower Estate