It's been a remarkable decade of challenging conventions for Hunter Valley winemaker Usher Tinkler, who's celebrating ten years since opening his Pokolbin cellar door and reflecting on his unconventional journey in the Australian wine industry.
The Road Less Travelled
From the very beginning, Tinkler chose the difficult path, deciding to grow his own grapes, create non-traditional wines, and openly challenge established winemaking practices. "It's funny, some days I wake up and wonder how I got to this point, other days I wonder how I got myself into this mess," he admits with a laugh.
Despite the challenges, his approach has paid off. "We're making lots of wine, people from all over the country are drinking my wine, it's in restaurants - we're finally starting to see some good results. But it's bloody hard work. It really is."
Tinkler acknowledges he's made life deliberately difficult by maintaining complete control over the entire winemaking process. "We're silly in that we grow our own grapes from our own vineyards, we make the wine, and we sell it. I made a choice to buy vineyards and a cellar door and take on a lot of debt. We're authentic, we're the real deal," he explains.
Pioneering Changes in Hunter Valley
When Usher Tinkler Wines launched in 2015 with his then-wife Ebony, his practices were considered revolutionary. He was among the first in the Hunter Valley to serve food at cellar doors, something that has since become standard practice.
"In the first three years, people were coming in for a long lunch, wanting to drink bottles of wine and have lots of cheese and salumi, and we had to explain to them that we were a cellar door," Tinkler recalls. "Now people go around grazing as part of their wine tasting, it's the new normal."
His skin-fermented semillon, which he called "Death by Semillon" with its distinctive dead rabbit label, initially upset traditionalists but has found international success. "We sell containers of that wine to New York, and I don't know anyone who sells any semillon to New York. Maybe Tyrrell's. But it's going great for us."
Navigating Challenges and Staying True
The business experienced rapid growth that proved challenging to manage, compounded by COVID-19 disruptions and Tinkler's divorce. Despite these obstacles, he's maintained his commitment to innovation and disruption.
"We're always thinking of new ways to upset and disrupt people. It's part of the branding. It's what we do," he states emphatically.
Tinkler continues to avoid entering wine shows, believing they don't align with his progressive approach. "I feel that, in some way, I would be selling my soul if I started entering wine shows. I worry that I would take the feedback and start using it to influence my winemaking."
Looking ahead, Tinkler is excited about celebrating his 10th anniversary with a "day festival" in the paddock featuring live music, food trucks, and plenty of wine for approximately 300 expected guests.
He's also optimistic about the coming harvest, noting that while they've started irrigating as the ground dries out, "the fruit is looking really good" and they expect to begin harvest around January 19, depending on weather conditions.
Through a decade of challenges and successes, Usher Tinkler has proven that taking the road less travelled can lead to remarkable achievements in Australia's competitive wine industry.
