OUR PEOPLE

Dan joined the Gramp & Sons winemaking team in the Barossa in 2006, where he quickly proved his outstanding winemaking talent, becoming Group Red Winemaker in  2015.  

As Chief Winemaker since 2018, Dan is determined to craft innovative wines that  continue to build the international recognition of Jacob’s Creek for their exceptional  quality and distinctive style.   

Dan’s job  isn’t  a small one. He has  responsibility for the style and quality of every  bottle of Jacob’s Creek wine; that’s over a million glasses of wine enjoyed daily across 80 countries  across the world.​

Exchanging accounting for vineyards, Trina Smith followed her heart and never looked back, travelling the world creating vintages and experiencing ways of winemaking from all over. Since joining Jacob’s Creek in 2016, Trina’s vision is to ensure that the varieties and vintage come to the fore in our wines, while maintaining the freshness & vibrancy that is our hallmark. 

Our Viti’ team take their job very seriously. As they should - it’s here that the whole process starts, and it’s their decisions that not only affect the next vintage but perhaps the vintages for generations to come.   

Together with our growers, they manage all aspects of vine health and grape quality including irrigation (ensuring the vines are watered sufficiently but not too much); canopy management (ensuring the vines have enough leaves to shade the grapes yet allow full ripening) and bunch weight (ensuring the vines have enough grapes but not too many) during the growing season. After harvest they get a short respite before managing the vine pruning decisions in the winter.   

Battling the elements and the quirks of Mother Nature, our viticulture team are the key to ensuring the grapes that go into every bottle of Jacob’s Creek are the best they can be. 

We’ve always said, our wine should be enjoyed in the homes of families and friends. So it’s a real point of pride for us that we source our grapes from over 120 independent growers - most of which are still family run vineyards. And just like the McPherson's below, many have been working with us for generations.  

We call our growers ‘wine growers’ not ‘grape growers’ because of the special understanding required to grow grapes that make great wine. They work closely with our Viticulturists and Winemakers on all key decisions, but it’s the years of experience in the day to day management of the vines that we think you can taste in every bottle.