Peter Gago

Peter Gago is an Australian winemaker and author, and the current custodian of Penfolds Grange, a famous Australian wine.

He was born in Newcastle, England, where he lived until the age of six before emigrating to Australia, settling in Melbourne. He became a high school teacher of mathematics and chemistry in the early 1980s after graduating from the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Science. At age twenty-nine, he undertook a Bachelor of Applied Science (Oenology) degree at Roseworthy College, graduating as . He started a job with Penfolds Wines in 1989, initially producing sparkling wine before moving on to reds, and eventually being made Penfolds Red Wine Oenologist. In July 2002, at age forty-five, Gago succeeded John Duval as Penfolds Chief Winemaker, becoming only the fourth person to hold the position since Max Schubert was first appointed in 1948. He has been involved with the market promotion of Penfolds wines since the early 1990s, travelling extensively to attend wine shows and conduct tastings and master classes. In 2005, he was named Winemaker of the Year by Wine Enthusiast Magazine.

On winemaking, he has said, "I would not say that my style is particularly evident in the winemaking, although I'm a firm believer in no filtration or fining, natural yeasts, open-top fermenting and other noninvasive techniques. For me, it's about knowing when to interfere and when to stay out of the way".

Gago has co-authored three books about wine with Patrick Iland. He is married to Gail Gago, a Labor member of the South Australian Legislative Council.

Books

* "Discovering Australian Wine : A Taster's Guide" (1995), ISBN 0-646-22238-4
* "Australian Wine : From the Vine to the Glass" (1997), ISBN 0-646-31855-1
* "Australian Wine : Styles and Tastes" (2002), ISBN 0-9581605-0-3

See also

*List of wine personalities

References

*cite web
url=http://www.penfolds.com.au/winemaking/philosophy/peter-gago.asp
title=Peter Gago : Winemaker : Winemaking Philosophy : Winemaking
accessdate=2006-04-26
*cite news
first=Jane
last=Faulkner
url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/12/12/1071125651144.html
title=Like a kid in a lolly shop
work=The Age
publisher=Fairfax
date=2003-12-15
accessdate=2006-04-21
*cite news
first=Michael
last=Schachner
url=http://www.winemag.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F791&tier=4&id=E8EAC90D71234B1EA1DDB76904A0F0FC
title=Winemaker of the Year - Peter Gago
work=Wine Enthusiast Magazine
date=2005-12-15
accessdate=2006-04-26
*cite web
url=http://www.penfolds.com.au/winemaking/philosophy/max-schubert.asp
title=Max Schubert : Winemaker : Winemaking Philosophy : Winemaking
accessdate=2006-04-26
*cite news
first=Terry
last=Plane
title=Penfolds' new chief to be top of the Grange
work=The Australian
publisher=News Corp.
date=2002-07-25
*cite press release
publisher=Southcorp Limited
date=2002-07-24
title=Southcorp Announces Peter Gago's Appointment as Penfolds Chief Winemaker, Assuming the Mantle from John Duval