Boutinot Australia
Meet the Producer
We have our own vineyards. We think this is important. It means we practice what we preach. We roll up our sleeves and get stuck in. It gives us the knowledge and capability to experiment, innovate and develop our own unique tasting wines. Made by Boutinot is more than just our vineyards and cellars in France, Italy, South Africa and England. It’s our longstanding relationships with hundreds of winegrowers around the world.
We craft our wines by both vinifying fruit from our own vineyards, and by selecting and blending wine from partner growers. Our winemakers together with our partners bring our winemaking philosophy to life. It's their mission to ensure all Made by Boutinot wines are crafted to taste the way a Boutinot wine should. Never losing sight of our vision to create high quality wines at every price point.
In Australia, after having spent a few, too many, years looking for a partner who "got us" and vice versa; finding that the answer was an old friend, literally, was one of those moments when the light goes on and you think, in the best Oz twang, "you goose"! Once realization hit, things moved quickly (like a possum up a gum tree!) and all of our own production wines were moved to a town close to the middle of no-where, called Piangil and – we’ve never looked back!
About the Winemaker
Having been with Boutinot since 1989, it’s fair to say Samantha Bailey has seen more than a few changes in her time with us. To rewind a little, what happens when you visit France as an au pair, study French at a university and then end up with a work placement in Burgundy (Beaune)...wine gets to be a (big!) part of your life, despite career advice suggesting you should go into accounting!
Her first job was with the very prestigious UK-based Wine Society in their marketing department, and then with Boutinot. The learning curve wasn’t so much a curve as a vertical climb but so exhilarating – tasting, playing, blending, learning. When you start with good ingredients the result can be formidable… BUT it’s not good enough to do formidable once – it’s got to be done every time and that’s demanding but then life without a challenge would be boring!
Originally it was just French wine but as time passed, we started to work in South Africa then Australia, Chile, Argentina, California, New Zealand and more. She does have a soft spot for South Africa, especially Chenin and Sauvignon.
Samantha is probably now more than half French if one considers the length of time she’s been there. She lives in a lovely part of France with her Portuguese husband and two girls, having managed to integrate into the village community and becoming almost one of the locals.
As she simply states: "I was born in England, but France is home, and I absolutely love the wine adventure that started 28 years ago and is still ongoing."
