We chat to Mark O’Callaghan, the ASVO Winemaker of the Year 2023 announced at last month’s annual Awards for Excellence.
The day he tried his first Pinot Noir was a revelation to Mark O’Callaghan.
A university student at the time, Mark says he knew very little about wine – but that humble bottle of Pinot changed everything.
“Finally, I knew what all the fuss was about. It sounds corny, but it was like looking through the keyhole to another room. I wanted to be a part of that world,” said Mark, who was named ASVO Winemaker of the Year 2023 last month.
Mark was born in Geelong and his childhood was filled with music, tennis, cricket and camping. With a keen interest in physics, chemistry and maths, Mark began studying Science at Monash University, majoring in Anatomy and Physiology.
A friend at the time was working in the wine sector, and Mark said what he described about his job was intriguing.
“There was just something really interesting about what he did,” Mark recalls. “I now know it was really just basic cellar work, but it sounded interesting and I was keen to find out more.”
To this end, Mark started doing some work at small wineries around Geelong. One of his jobs was at Prince Alfred Vineyard, where owner and vigneron Bruce Hyett gifted him the Pinot Noir that ultimately changed his career course.
Mark went back to university, completing a Bachelor of Applied Science (Wine Science) and for the next 14 years worked at Accolade Wines (formerly BRL Hardy) – including eight years as Senior Winemaker and Winery Manager at Yarra Burn. He also made wines in McLaren Vale, Heathcote, Great Western and the Pyrenees, and undertook vintages in Austria and Sicily.
Mark said it was more harsh economic reality than romantic notion that saw him switch from winemaker to pursue a different space in the wine sector.
“It was a downturn in the wine sector; friends and colleagues with incredible talent and work ethic were being let go and sites were being closed down all over the place. The site that I was running at Hardy’s was closed down. They wanted me to stay on and move to another site, but the family was settled and we didn’t want to move.”
As fate would have it, Mark got a call from Gary Baldwin, Director and Principal Consultant at Wine Network Consulting and he began the next phase of his career in 2013.
Mark said living and working through the ups and downs of the wine sector business cycle(s) has proven to be valuable background and preparation for his current role as Managing Director.
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Image by John Kruger
Wine Network Consulting has grown significantly under Mark’s watch, broadening its team and range of services throughout Australia and internationally.
Along with his role at Wine Network Consulting, Mark is a regular wine show judge (including his new role as Chair of Judges for the Royal Hobart Wine Show), author, lecturer, member of the Victorian Pinot Noir Workshop Committee and former Chair of the Committee for the Yarra Valley Wine Show and James Halliday Chardonnay Challenge.
The ASVO judges highlighted the fact that Mark was an ‘exceptional communicator and educator.’
“I just find it really quite rewarding to help people find a path through tough spots – whether that’s clients who have a real situation on their hands or colleagues in the sector who are having a tough time professionally.
“I like to think that I try to broaden the horizon a bit with respect to options. There are always options, even if it’s having to find the least-worst option. There is some phenomenal talent out there that just needs a break – and a chance to learn.”