By Fergal Gleeson

Many dream of owning a winery! Cracking open a bottle of your own wine after a day
on the land, looking out over your carefully tended rows of vines under a gorgeous
sunset. Emma Shipley and David White decided to make it happen!

Visits to the Hunter Valley 20 years ago had ignited their passion and the dream of a
life in wine but when the big 4- 0 came calling Emma decided it was time to do it.
Emma chucked in her CFO career to start Latitude 32 Wines in the Hunter Valley
with her husband David five years ago.

They purchased their first vineyard in Pokolbin in 2018, which had 40-year-old dry grown vines planted out to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. They bought their second vineyard also in Pokolbin from Mistletoe Wines in 2023, which came with award winning 30-year-old vines of Shiraz, Semillon, Chardonnay and Muscat.

Shovelling Sh*t!

Emma used to sit in a corner office in a glass tower, with views of the Harbour Bridge. She now has the hands on experience of shovelling 20 tonne of chicken and mushroom manure across the vines. She jokes that ‘shovelling sht up a hill’ is an expression in the business world. You do it for real in the wine world.

Obsessing about the weather is another change to her life. Rain fall, sun, UV rays, winds – all have knock on impacts for the vines and ultimately how the wine tastes in the glass.

They’ve already seen the roller coaster life that mother nature ordains for winemakers. Their first vintage in 2019 produced excellent wines but yields were small after 3 years of drought. Smoke taint from bushfires meant no harvest in 2020. Hail damage in 2021 wrote off a block of their Chardonnay. Applying for a DA for a cellar door to showcase their wines during COVID was no more straightforward.

“It is a lot of hard work,” Emma acknowledges but also “rewarding, exciting but most of all fun!’

I asked if their corporate careers have helped in starting Latitude 32.
“Well we are both accountants,” Emma says “So we should have known better than to buy a vineyard, let alone two! Whilst our passion for wine led us into this new venture, success for us is also defined by creating a financially strong and profitable long-term business.”

Just as important as financial acumen has been the corporate experience in recognising the importance of building a team of the right people around them including their viticulturalist, their winemaker and Operations Manager.

A Day in the Life of a Winemaker
“Well, it takes a lot of beer to make wine,” she laughs. “So making sure the fridge is stocked each morning is part of the standard routine! But activities vary depending on the time of year”

Emma finds the process of turning grapes into wine fascinating. “I love being in the winery and generally annoying our winemaker with my 3,000 questions and suggestions of how I would do it, but hey I own the joint so I get to influence the style as well!” she says.

She has been impressed with the sense of community in the Hunter Valley and how
generous people have been with their time and knowledge in helping them along the way. There’s a realisation across the community in the Hunter Valley of the interdependency of wine, accommodation, restaurants and activities to provide memorable experiences for visitors.

The Wines
Latitude 32 have already notched up a 4 + star rating from Halliday Wine Companion, the Australian wine industry bible as well as 95 points for their 2019 Hilltops Sangiovese.

They produce the regional classics – Shiraz, Chardonnay and Semiilon. The 2023’s now on release are taut, low in alcohol and refreshing.

“Our philosophy has been to respect what the region is best known for but put our own modern take on it,” is how Emma puts it.

The first vineyard they purchased had 40-year old dry grown pinot noir vines. They were advised to “rip ‘em up” in order to plant something that was more commercially viable. While Pinot is notoriously tricky to grow especially in the Hunter, Emma is glad she stuck with it.

They produce a straight Pinot in the best vintages and blend their Pinot with Shiraz in
other years. Latitude 32 are reviving the style known as Hunter Burgundy in the 50’s and
60’s, when Australian winemakers could use French regional styles on labels. The Pinot and Pinot blends are a hit with consumers she tells me.

Every year Latitude 32 makes one ‘out of region wine’ at their winery in the Hunter which are available for sale at the cellar door and online. In 2019 it was the Hilltops Sangiovese, in 2021 a Grenache Mataro from Barossa and in 2023 Prosecco from Murray Darling. For 2024, Emma has found some amazing Aglianico fruit from Merbein, Victoria which will be released next year.

The Cellar Door

They’ve recently opened a cellar door, which is dog friendly. Families are encouraged to
visit with giant games on the lawn in good weather. Latitude 32 are on Hermitage Road,
Deasy’s Road which is off Hermitage Road past Keith Tulloch and Thomas Wines when
travelling from Pokolbin. It’s on the Hermitage Road cycle path. If you are on two wheels
Emma recommends e-bikes though a designated driver or tour guide are even better.

They have an array of experiences on offer, such as breakfast or lunch hampers in the
vineyard, a guided walk through the vines, which should be pre-booked. Vegan & gluten free options are also available.

After a wine tasting, guests can stay around, enjoy a wine by the glass and a cheese platter.

The Future

Apart from continuing to keep the quality high, they plan to get the wine out there at wine
fairs and restaurants’ wine lists, in Australia and internationally.

Latitude 32 are in the process of converting their vineyards to sustainable practices, which
includes introducing new fauna and flora, such as ladybugs, bees and native cover crop, as well as reducing tractor hours so that the vineyard creates its own natural ecosystem in
order to thrive.

They also have an eye on planting some new varietals that will be resistant to climate
change and to appeal to increasing adventurous customer tastes.

“We are loving sharing our wines and stories with consumers at our cellar door,” Emma
says, “Just like we experienced ourselves some 20 years ago. I am literally living my
dream – I wish more people in this world could say the same! Work hard, play hard, have a dream – but always wake up and live it!”

More at http://www.latitude32wines.com