Winemaker Profile: Rory Lane
Rory Lane is a Melbourne man who wanted to make wine. Not just any wine, but a wine from the Grampians region of Victoria. He loved the wines of Mount Langi Ghiran, Clayfield and Seppelt St Peters, and while other regions were bristling with new winemaking projects, he couldn’t understand why a new brigade hadn’t sprung out of the Grampians. He decided then to do something about it. He went looking for good vineyards that might sell him small quantities of good quality shiraz grapes. He made sure he got them in good condition. And then he did the unusual thing: he brought them back to Melbourne, and made the wines right there in suburbia. In his bath tub if he had to! Things have moved on from there as, too, has the reputation of the wines. They’re bottled under the label The Story. Adam Catford runs a few questions by Rory.
Name:
Rory Lane
Age:
29
Where you currently make wine:
The Story Wines
Location:
Grampians/Melbourne metro.
Where you’ve made wine in the past:
U.S. (Oregon)
Most significant wine you’ve consumed:
A 1987 Hill of Grace (which was) drunk on my birthday last year. It was significant because my grandfather bought and cellared it in his awful cellar behind the stove. It showed the importance of drinking good wine with good people.
Could you describe this wine?
It was in surprisingly good nick, despite dubious storage. It still had great red fruit but had leathery, truffled complexity. It was thoroughly discussed and enjoyed by all.
Wine you’re most proud of having been associated with the making of?
2006 The Story Westgate Vineyard Shiraz – I was happy with the restraint.
What wine that you have made has the most interesting story behind it – and what is that story?
This question could have been written for us! I’ll avoid the obvious though and say the first wine I ever made – at university in 2002. I was racking a 34 lt demijohn in my bath at home and as I pushed the bung back in I heard an ominous crack and then whoosh! All I could to was put the plug in. I managed to only lose a couple of litres. I eventually bottled it and it’s still ok, bar a few soap flecks.
Is there any wine you’ve been associated with the making of that, if you had your time again, you’d treat/make differently?
Almost all of them. There is always room for improvement, and my preferences alter with time. I would have been a bit more mindful of aromatic retention in some earlier wines, especially in hot vintages.
In your opinion, which wine style/grape variety does Australia and New Zealand, respectively, do best?
Right now – Australia Shiraz and New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.
Other than the wineries you have worked with, which Australian/NZ winery is best represented in your personal cellar?
I have a pitiful cellar but probably Bests, Seppelts and Crawford River.
Favourite wine region (Australia):
Grampians or Henty
Favourite wine region (world-wide):
Northern Rhone closely followed by Burgundy
Favourite movie:
Weekend at Bernie’s.
Favourite book (general):
The Tree of Man, Patrick White
Favourite wine-related book:
Wines of the Northern Rhone John Livingstone- Learmonth
Desert-island food-wine match:
Freshly shucked oysters and a good Chablis.
How do you take your coffee?
Latte in the morning and espresso at night
What do you most love about the wine industry?
The smell of the first ferment of vintage. It has a fabulous energising effect.
What do you most detest about the wine industry?
The tendency to dismiss delicate wines, and the unfortunate costs associated with distribution. I’m not that keen on the power of the supermarket duopoly either. Or washing barrels.
Any comments you would like to make in relation to the wine industry here or globally?
In Australia further corporate consolidation and destruction of once great brands is inevitable, but their mistakes will be to the advantage of passionate and considered smaller producers who have the right vines planted on interesting sites.
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