Meet Steve Webber from DeBortoli

The Wine Selectors Wine of the Month for September is the De Bortoli Estate Grown Pinot Noir 2014. So we caught up with winemaker Steve Webber to find out a bit more about the man behind the wine.

Can you recall the first wine you tried?
Not really. My father enjoyed Pirramimma Shiraz so it was probably something like that.

When did you fall in love with wine?
I have enjoyed wine since I was 18 (38 years ago) and been fascinated by it, however, I feel I only fell in love with wine about 20 years ago after spending lots of time in France and Italy, breaking out of the wine bubble, enjoying delicious inexpensive wine with friends and secretly enjoying the odd delicious expensive bottle with Leanne (and maybe 1 or 2 friends).

Do you have a favourite wine?
Pinot Noir. Ridiculously alluring, charming, gracious and great with fatty cuts of pork and duck.

What is your favourite wine memory?
A bottle of 1996 Salon Champagne that Leanne and I vacuumed after her final cancer treatment. It must be why she is fighting fit today.

Other than your own, which wine do you like to drink at home?
Pale dry Rosé in carafes from lots of different Australian and French producers.

What is your favourite wine and food match?
Fine minerally Chardonnay with pan fried John Dory.

How do you relax away from winemaking?
Hanging out at our beach house on the Mornington Peninsula – good food and the odd bottle.

What is your favourite….

Book: McEnroe – talent to burn, had attitude.
Movie: The Rock – love the one liners
TV show: Rake – too funny
Restaurant: France Soir – unfortunately my kids favourite as well
Lunch: Dory, Chablis and friends
Dinner: Charcoal roasted chicken with the family
Time of day/night: Twilight in spring in the Yarra Valley – amazing colours
Sporting team: Geelong