The meteoric rise of Andrew Bretherton, head winemaker at Juniper Estate

Andrew Bretherton is on fire. Every time the ’gram refreshes, he’s collected another award: Dux of Len Evans, Wine of Show, graduate of Next Crop. The list grows faster than my tolerance for greatness.

He dresses smart, he’s painfully kind, relentlessly professional, makes iconic wine, and somehow still manages to be humble. Normally, people this polished make me want to vomit, but with Andy, it’s endearing, inspiring even.

Professionally, he hasn’t missed a beat, either, from working in Germany’s Mosel region, to leading De Bortoli’s white wine program in the Yarra, to becoming assistant winemaker at Deep Woods, and finally, landing his current position in 2023 as head winemaker at Juniper Estate.

Everyone in the region adores him, too. “Generous, insightful, authentic,” were the words industry peers offered when politely interrogated. Still, no one is that good, that nice and that well-adjusted without at least one vulnerability.

So, I sat down with him for a beer and shamelessly made him talk about his feelings, philosophies and what's next.

On his recent gongs

In the months before the awards, he admits: “I’d had this moment of, shit… are we going in the right direction?” A little “self-belief wobble.”

All the trophies make it easy to forget Andy is only two years into the head winemaker role at Juniper Estate — and this year was the first time seeing the fruits of his labour. Juniper picked up four major trophies at this year’s Perth Royal Wine Show, including the John Jens Trophy and White of Show.

When the call came, any thoughts of wrong direction or self-doubt dissolved instantly. “I got in the car afterwards and just yelled.” For Andy, it was trusted reassurance. A nod from palates and people he admires, and “relief from the (internal) questions,” he said with a heavy breath out.

The trophies didn’t inflate him; they steadied him.

On the Len Evans Tutorial

Andy’s Len Evans experience started with chaos. “I had to get on the plane twice,” he laughed. The first flight was cancelled; the second required a 24-hour dash to Perth (three hours’ north), a night at his parents’ and arguments with the airline. “By the time we finally boarded, we were just relieved — and even more stoked to be going.”

The scramble reset his mindset. “Two months of planning went out the window” – and so did the nerves. “They’ve decided I’m ready, so I’m ready. I’m just going to enjoy it.”

The cohort bonded quickly, tutors leading with positive culture “Any pressure, he said, was entirely self-imposed.” And despite ultimately taking out Dux, he remains annoyingly grounded: “I got a couple of things right — but no one smashes it. It’s really hard.”

On his winemaking philosophy

“I like to make wines intuitively,” Andy told me. “And I like to communicate about wines in ways people can understand.”

His mentors shaped his wine philosophies. Steve Webber, who he describes as “a big mind who thinks ahead of the curve,” taught clarity of intent. Julian Langworthy was the opposite energy:

“Flamboyant, fast, loud… a bit of a rockstar, but a brilliant communicator and storyteller.”

Through the time he spent with these two industry legends, Andy found his own style in both leadership and winemaking. “I’m thoughtful. I like to sit with things. Often the thinking is as important as the doing.” He believes in doing less, where possible. “It really takes a lot of thought sometimes to do not much.”

On what’s next

After a Tyson Stelzer masterclass – and a taste of the 2008 Krug Clos du Mesnil, one of the “sickest wines” Andy has ever had – plus $10,000 toward wine education (thanks to Duxing Len Evans), he plans to visit Champagne, Burgundy and Bandol, the latter a self-funded venture to sip rosé before returning to the Southwest.

Andrew Bretherton has, quietly and consistently, become the person people go to. A steady voice in the Western Australian wine community, and frankly, a good bloke.

I’m officially satisfied that he is, in fact, as he seems: a winemaker with talent, composure, humility and actual kindness….  and someone capable of speaking about his feelings.