Distinguished winemaker Teresa Heuzenroeder has been appointed senior winemaker and manager for Accolade Wines’ historic Tintara facility.
In addition, Teresa will take on the role of senior winemaker for the Petaluma and Croser brands.
The announcement follows the decision by Mike Mudge to step down from the role of senior winemaker and manager at Petaluma.
Initially specialising in food and wine chemistry, Teresa entered the wine industry as a microbiologist before combining this knowledge and expertise into winemaking.
Teresa is joining Accolade Wines after a 26-year career at Yalumba, where she held senior winemaking roles across a number of Yalumba and Hill Smith Family vineyard brands.
Sandy Mayo, chief marketing officer at Accolade Wines, said: “We recently bid farewell to Mike Mudge as our senior winemaker and manager at Petaluma.
“Mike has been integral to the growth and success of the Petaluma and Croser brands, and has been an upholder of quality and an ambassador for the Adelaide Hills region.
“We would like to thank Mike for his outstanding contribution to Petaluma and Croser over 30 years and we wish him and his family every success for the future.”
Last year, Accolade Wines announced that, due to increased demand for the Petaluma and Croser brands, it had reached capacity at Woodside Estate in the Adelaide Hills and outgrown the site.
The decision was made to move production of the Petaluma and Croser portfolio to the company’s Tintara facility in McLaren Vale to support the ongoing and planned growth of Petaluma and Croser, in Australia and internationally.
The company is investigating new locations for the Petaluma Cellar Door.
Sandy said Accolade Wines was delighted to welcome Teresa to Accolade.
“Teresa, who is well known to the industry, is a highly experienced winemaker. We are excited for her to join our talented team at Tintara and look forward to seeing the great work she does in her new role,” she said.
Accolade Wines brand custodians Nigel Sneyd MW (global wine director), Ed Carr (group sparkling winemaker) and Craig Stansborough (group premium winemaker), who are all based in South Australia, are responsible for the quality of all wines in the Accolade Wines portfolio. They will continue to provide guidance and support to maintain the high quality for which Petaluma and Croser wines are famous.
Teresa said: “Having the opportunity to join the amazing team at Accolade Wines and learn from world-class experts including Ed and Nigel, was a big drawcard for me.
“The Tintara site has such strong heritage as a distinguished winemaking facility and I am so excited to work with some of the most respected Australian wine brands.
“I look forward to coming on-board with Accolade Wines and bringing a new set of skills and perspective to help take these wines to new levels.”
Hardys Tintara has grown to become Accolade Wines’ largest premium winery and state-of-the-art winemaking facility.
The company plans to continue to invest in South Australia and the broader wine industry as it focuses on “increasing access of quality wine to wine lovers around the world”.
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