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Winemaker
Fortified winemaking is an immensely challenging category as it covers every facet of winemaking skill, incorporating a vast range of styles requiring the knowledge and moulding together of traditional and modern winemaking techniques.
James Godfrey
Seppeltsfield Fortified Winemaker
Fortified winemaking is an immensely challenging category as it covers every facet of winemaking skill, incorporating a vast range of styles requiring the knowledge and moulding together of traditional and modern winemaking techniques.
Seppeltsfield with its stocks dating back to 1878 has one of the most extensive stocks of fortified wines in Australian and possibly the world.
This is why James Godfrey says he can’t think of anywhere else he’d rather be working. “These irreplaceable stocks - many of which are older than me - must be treated with a great deal of care and respect. Fortified wines are after all the foundation of our industry”.
James began his career in the wine industry in 1974 at Wynns Glenloth Winery at Reynella. The following year he commenced the three-year Diploma in Oenology at Roseworthy, and over the period worked vintages with Tolley, Saxonvale and Wynns Coonawarra Estate.
James came to work at Seppeltsfield in 1978 and has just completed his 32nd consecutive vintage. He has been a show judge for 13 years and has been a senior judge at Sydney, Adelaide, Canberra, Perth, Hunter Valley and McLaren Vale Wine Shows.
Winestate Magazine named James “Winemaker of the Year” in 1999.
Of all the great wines in his portfolio James regards Seppeltsfield DP90 Tawny as his most personal. It is the most awarded wine in Australian Shows of any wine style. He gives Seppeltsfield Clara Blanca Fino the cap for being the most challenging to produce, while he says the 100 Year Old Para collection offers the greatest mystery and intrigue, “this collection is a living museum of the fortified industry”.
Seppeltsfield Fortified Winemaker
Fortified winemaking is an immensely challenging category as it covers every facet of winemaking skill, incorporating a vast range of styles requiring the knowledge and moulding together of traditional and modern winemaking techniques.
Seppeltsfield with its stocks dating back to 1878 has one of the most extensive stocks of fortified wines in Australian and possibly the world.
This is why James Godfrey says he can’t think of anywhere else he’d rather be working. “These irreplaceable stocks - many of which are older than me - must be treated with a great deal of care and respect. Fortified wines are after all the foundation of our industry”.
James began his career in the wine industry in 1974 at Wynns Glenloth Winery at Reynella. The following year he commenced the three-year Diploma in Oenology at Roseworthy, and over the period worked vintages with Tolley, Saxonvale and Wynns Coonawarra Estate.
James came to work at Seppeltsfield in 1978 and has just completed his 32nd consecutive vintage. He has been a show judge for 13 years and has been a senior judge at Sydney, Adelaide, Canberra, Perth, Hunter Valley and McLaren Vale Wine Shows.
Winestate Magazine named James “Winemaker of the Year” in 1999.
Of all the great wines in his portfolio James regards Seppeltsfield DP90 Tawny as his most personal. It is the most awarded wine in Australian Shows of any wine style. He gives Seppeltsfield Clara Blanca Fino the cap for being the most challenging to produce, while he says the 100 Year Old Para collection offers the greatest mystery and intrigue, “this collection is a living museum of the fortified industry”.
