Maddie LeMire
Winemaker at Balnaves
“It was a reminder that everything starts in the vineyard. I think that’s one of the biggest takeaway messages. That, and less is more, attention to detail, and taste – always," Maddie said.
Maddie returned from Bordeaux in November 2024 and headed to Coonawarra for the interview with the Balnaves family. “Working for family businesses has always been really important to me,” she says. “They are an amazing family and make amazing wines. I felt very comfortable during that first interview.
The business was established by Doug and Annette Balnaves in 1975 and is now run by family members, including Doug, Kirsty and Peter Balnaves. In her new role, Maddie will work closely with winemaking legend Pete Bissell.
"I was here in February 2024 for the Australian Cabernet Symposium and that gave me such nice insight into the community and the town here,” she says. “It was so much fun and everyone has been so welcoming.”
Balnaves specialises in premium Cabernet Sauvignon from their four vineyard sites and also produce award-winning Chardonnay and Shiraz.
“I love Cabernet, which is why I was at the symposium,” Maddie says. “Bekkers are doing some really exciting Cabernet projects, so that started my love for it.”
She believes Coonawarra Shiraz is underrated.
“That may not be a ‘cool’ thing to say, but I've worked with Shiraz for a long time now and Coonawarra is a cooler climate and the Shiraz from here is savoury, peppery, and beautiful. It was the first variety planted and there are some amazing old vineyards here.”
She is excited about the region as a whole. “I think it's a really exciting area to be in,” she says. “It's a tricky time in the wine industry in general, but I think it's a time of reassessment and looking at which vineyards are performing highly. There are some amazing wines coming out that are a collector's dream.”
Case in point, the Balnaves of Coonawarra 2021 Tally Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon was listed in the Langtons classification as Outstanding. It all makes for a bright future.
“It’s a balance between continuing this reputation of incredible wines and living up to The Tally, which is such a collected and prominent Coonawarra wine,” she says. “Maintaining that reputation is definitely core focus but we also have some really exciting projects coming up, for example, we've recently planted Fiano.”
Maddie never loses sight of the mentors who inspired her path. “That inclusion and willingness to nurture the younger generation has been one of the things I've been lucky to experience,” she says.
“I think that's such a special part of the industry. I’m just stoked to be here, working for great people and hopefully making great wine.”
Find out more about Balnaves of Coonawarra here.
Meet South Australia’s winemakers
Behind every glass, there’s a grower. Or 3,182 of them.
Our winemakers, viticulturists, cellar hands, marketers, wine slingers and grape pickers share a deep bond. A shared humility and a sense that no matter how fine a wine is, the people and authenticity behind it matter most.
They are custodians of place and culture. Some stem from families who have worked the same patch of dirt for more than a century, others who chose to leave their homeland and ‘chase the grape’ on South Australian turf.
