Making wine at Quealy is a family affair now directed by Tom McCarthy.

Winemaking wasn’t in McCarthy’s plans, though vines certainly were, with him studying an agricultural science degree. “I worked in the vineyard and winery growing up, but initially preferred vines more than wines,” he says. That interest soon bloomed, though, undertaking a practical apprenticeship both at home and around the world.

In 2011 and ’12, Tom spent vintage at Domaine Paul Blanck with Frederic Blanck. “He works hard, taught me a lot, and drinks well,” says McCarthy. Vintage 2012 also saw the first Quealy ‘Turbul’ Friulano made. Tom created this radical wine, spear-heading the skin contact movement in Australia. In that first 2011 vintage of Turbul Tom was helped by winemaker and friend, Nikolas Juretic of Friuli.

Short visits to Friulian skin-contact pioneers Damijan Podversic and Josko Gravner informed the process further, with a vintage with Kristian Keber of Edi Keber following in 2015. Vintages in the Hunter Valley at Keith Tulloch, with cult natural maker Jean-Jacques Morel in Burgundy, and with Xavier and Arnaud Desfontaine of Château de Chamilly, Burgundy, round out his practical experience… so far.

It’s such an important variety for our region. It’s so expressive that only the most distinguished vineyards deserve the attention.

Decades ago, we committed to vineyards that would naturally make glorious Pinot Noirs. In our region it is necessary to select sites without compromise as each nuance of exposure, temperature and soil qualities evident in the wine.

Each of our vineyards bottled as its own cuvée.