Viticulturist of the Year

2024 Viticulturist of the Year

Mark Walpole, Fighting Gully Road – Beechworth, Victoria

There isn’t a winemaker alive who doesn’t know that unless all is right in the vineyard there’s only so much that the winemaker can do. The viticulturists – the people who grow the grapes – are therefore a, if not the, crucial part of the puzzle. This award celebrates the people who grow the wines that we love.

Mark Walpole is the owner, winemaker and viticulturist at Fighting Gully Road.

Mark Walpole isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. He lives and breathes vineyards; it’s as if his very blood runs in straight, varietal rows. His influence in North East Victoria extends back to his time at Brown Brothers, where he was a pioneer of ‘alternative varieties’, though his work with all manner of both obscure and classic varieties at his Whorouly vineyard (in the Alpine Valleys region); at his Fighting Gully Road vineyard (in the Beechworth region); previously at Greenstone (at Heathcote) and at the old Smith’s vineyard, to name just a few of his key areas of influence, is at every turn both inspiring and significant.

Mark Walpole is a viticulturist’s viticulturist; he is the real deal. His great love is sangiovese, of which he is arguably the chief Australian authority, but in truth Mark Walpole is an authority on viticulture, full stop. Not that he would ever put such a label on himself. What Walpole mostly is, though, is curious. At the heart of every great viticulturist is a relentless desire to experiment, and every day that is indeed what Mark Walpole does. He trials things. He puts wonder to work. His pursuit of a better way, a different way, a more appropriate way, is relentless. It’s what makes him one of the Australian wine industry’s greatest assets; it’s what makes him so overwhelmingly deserving of this award. – Campbell Mattinson

Mark Walpole established Fighting Gully Road in 1997.

Mark Walpole is the owner, viticulturist and winemaker at Fighting Gully Road. Mark says he feels honoured to be named Viticulturist of the Year.

"I really didn't expect to even be nominated. It's a very, very broad job and it's a seven day a week job. My goal is to make the best wine possible. It's all about attention to detail, and that's in growing the grapes and into the winery – and so there's nothing spared. Our goal is to make the best wine," says Mark.

"The importance of the quality of grapes out of the vineyard is second to none. It's extremely important to actually be able to grow great grapes because it makes the job of making wine in the winery so much easier."

"We're always trying to achieve better. And therefore, the job is never done because you're always trying to achieve a greater result from both the wine and region point of view."

2024 Viticulturist of the Year

The previous Viticulturist of the Year recipients include Vanya Cullen (2022) and and Tom Carson (2023).

The 2024 Halliday Wine Companion is available now. Secure your copy of Australia's most comprehensive wine guide here – and at all good bookstores.

This is an edited extract from the 2024 Halliday Wine Companion, with reviews by James Halliday, Campbell Mattinson, Dave Brookes, Jane Faulkner, Jeni Port, Mike Bennie, Ned Goodwin MW, Philip Rich and Shanteh Wale. Cover art by Ka Mo.