What brings you joy in life?
For me, it’s all about my family – and in particular my kids – doing their best and achieving great things. But equally, I also love seeing my fantastic team at Taylors Wines do great things in the wine business. One of my favourite movies is Big Wednesday which has a great quote from the coach character: “How did you do it?” “They did it, I just gave them the tools.”
What is the best photograph you have?
I have a lot of great family pictures, and I also love photography myself – especially when travelling. But one of my favourite photographs has to be when we took home twin trophies at the 2005 International Wine & Spirit Competition for the 2001 St Andrews Cabernet Sauvignon. We also picked up the Warren Winiarski Trophy for the Best Cabernet Sauvignon of the show, which we also won for a second time in 2013, too.
This picture is of me holding the trophy, but really, it’s the work of the whole Taylors Wines team. I remember smiling during that picture as we had just lost The Ashes, and there was this cleaner who remarked in his thick, cockney accent: “Ha – an Aussie over there celebrating something!”
What is the hardest lesson you’ve had to learn?
“Success has many fathers, but failure is an orphan.” For me, this means sticking to your personal values and not letting people undermine you with their actions.
What’s the best advice you’ve been given?
“It’s not about what you could do, but it’s about what you should do.” Again, it’s about your values and sticking to them.
Describe the best meal you’ve ever eaten.
Wow that is a tough one! Great thing about being in the wine industry is that I’ve been lucky enough to experience some incredible meals across Australia and abroad, but truly it’s all about the company you share it with. One of my favourite places to celebrate with my family is at Catalina in Sydney – in particular, I remember a meal there after our St Andrews Riesling won at the Best of Riesling competition in Germany. Sydney Harbour is one of my favourite places in Australia – minus the Clare Valley, of course – and for me is a place where I’m reminded of how incredible our wine and food culture is here in this country.
What are the best qualities of your favourite person?
Loyalty, respect, authenticity and love — which describes my wife, and favourite person Adrianne. She is certainly the colour to my life and a constant inspiration to keep going forward.
Best five songs on your playlist?
Another tough question! I loved going to gigs in my youth, and there are so many great Australian bands I grew up with like Hoodoo Gurus, Mental as Anything, Australian Crawl, and Midnight Oil. Narrowing it down, my top five would be:
– Best Years of Our Life by Eric Clapton. I always share this song with people when I’m abroad as a great example of Australian music!
– American Pie by Don McLean – I’m a history buff so it’s about the lyrics here for me!
– Beautiful Day by U2 – a song that always makes me feel appreciative of things.
– Armistice Day by Midnight Oil
-Love Her Madly by The Doors
My life philosophy is…
There’s a quote my mum would always say to me when I told her about all my favourite things like cricket and football: “Just remember there’s no prize for being the world’s best spectator. To be a doer, be true to your values and always respect those around you.”