Stephen Henschke, Winemaker
It is a proud heritage that Stephen Henschke bears, but 130 years of grapegrowing and winemaking spanning five generations rests easily on the shoulders of the man who is invariably described as quiet and unassuming. He does not shy away from the fact that the Henschke name and reputation are inexorably linked with red wines in general and Hill of Grace in particular, but with winemaking his lifeblood he approaches all wine styles with the same depth of passion and commitment to quality. He is also mindful of his European roots and a proud supporter of the historical language, food, religion and wine culture of his Silesian forebears still alive in pockets in the Barossa.
Stephen has retained the traditional approach to red winemaking used by his forebears. You can imagine their surprise at finding how ripe the grapes became in their newly adopted sunny climate. Their table wines would have become high in alcohol and fermented dry due to the warmer conditions. Wine exports towards the turn of the century required fortifying the wines due to microbiological spoilage problems. This technology lasted throughout the war years until the demand for table wine was again encouraged by the contribution to our wine and food culture by the newer immigrants from southern Europe, predominantly from Italy and Greece.
The shift from fortified wines meant they picked the grapes ripe to achieve full maturity and gain intensity of colour, flavour and mature tannins - something that is not out of place for rich, full-bodied reds - while the winemaking itself took a minimalist approach. They did not overhandle wines by a lot of racking, take a heavy hand with sulphur or fining, or use high filtration so often done today for cosmetic reasons. His forebears took a puristic, holistic approach that had been passed down from generation to generation so it was almost intuitive. At the '40 Years of Hill of Grace' tasting in 1998 when Stephen tasted the range - some for the first time - he was struck by how closely he is emulating his father’s winemaking of the late 1950s and the '60s with his minimal intervention.
With today's advanced viticultural practices, of course, due credit is also given to the quality of fruit in the vineyard. And just as success of the reds is largely attributed to fruit quality, so too is the quality of the whites. As the Australian wine industry has advanced, Stephen has adopted recognised technology such as the use of inert gas to minimise oxidation and more flexible refrigeration in the winery. The increase in the understanding of the chemistry of winemaking has also contributed to the success of the white wines - a raft of chemical analyses gives greater control than just a few.
If Stephen shows a traditional influence with red winemaking, then it is true to say he has been influenced by German technology for whites. In a way he is using the best of Old World tradition coupled with New World technology. He retains a purity of fruit through careful handling of the juice and wine, which brings out the intense, varietally pure perfumes of the natural grape flavours. Combine this with the today's technology - and taste the resulting whites - and it is clear that Stephen is embarking on a new direction for Henschke that his forebears could never have imagined.
In keeping with world best practice, Stephen and company secretary Mark Graetz embarked upon a project to develop a Quality Management System at Henschke. This ISO 9002 Certification was achieved in 1998.
EDUCATION (abridged)
- 1969-73 University of Adelaide - Majored in Biochemistry and Botany - graduated with Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.).
- 1973-74 Cellar hand at Rothbury Estate, Hunter Valley.
- 1975-77 Two-year course at Geisenheim Wine Institute, West Germany - majoring in Wine Technology and Viticulture. Worked in wineries at Winzerverein Oberrotweil, Baden and Institut für Rebenzüchtung und Rebenveredlung, Geisenheim.
- 1977-79 One of the original students from the Wine Science Course, Riverina College, Wagga Wagga (now Charles Sturt University).
- 1977-79 Assistant Winemaker C.A. Henschke & Co.
- 1979-present Winemaker/Managing Director, C.A. Henschke & Co.
AWARDS AND MEMBERSHIPS
The highlights of Stephen's career include the following awards and nominations:
- Joint International Red Winemaker of the Year 1994/95 (with Prue)
- Advance Australia Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Wine Industry in 1995 (with Prue)
- 1998 Volvo/WINE Magazine Winemaker of the Year nominee (with Prue)
- Induction into the 2005 USA Wine & Spirits Magazine Hall of Fame
- 2006 Gourmet Traveller WINE Magazine Winemaker of the Year (with Prue)
Stephen's memberships are many, and include:
- Past Chairman Eden Valley Winegrowers Committee
- Past Executive Member Barossa Winemakers Committee
- Past President Adelaide Hills Wine Region
- Master and past Honorary Vigneron Barons of Barossa Wine Fraternity
- Australian Society of Viticulture & Oenology
- Bacchus Club of Barossa Valley
- Past Member Barossa Valley Apex Club
- Past Chairman Henschke Heritage Group
- Member North Rhine Landcare Group
- Wine judge at various wine shows
- Member Industry Reference Group for the Tannin Project