Meet the icon winemaker who refuses to retire

Garry Crittenden has been a hugely influential player in the Australian wine industry over multiple decades.

He was one of the pioneers in the Mornington Peninsula, an early champion of alternative grape varieties, and one of the visionaries who planted Tasmania's icon Tolpuddle Vineyard.

One thing that Garry is not so good at, however, is retirement.

Crittenden handed over the reins of Crittenden Estate to his son Rollo and daughter Zoe several years ago, but he still can't resist making at least one wine each year.

His passion project, which sees him produce a small batch Mornington pinot noir each year, is now in its seventh year.

Each vintage has been a chance for Garry to not only showcase his winemaking expertise but also to tap into his love of art - with the various releases adorned by eye-catching labels.

Garry was kind enough to send me a vertical of the wines, and very impressive they are, too.

From the first “The Big Chair” to the new release - the 2023 Air Like Wine Pinot Noir ($55) - they are all the works of an artist. There are vintage variations, sure, but these are creations that belong to the same collection. 

"When I moved from Melbourne to the Mornington Peninsula 60 years ago my profoundest impression was the bright impact of Mother Nature, forever bountiful," Crittenden recalled in a recent note to me - we have known each for well over three decades. 

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"The air was fresh and clean like a good wine, “air like wine”, the beaches a joy to walk on and the hinterland almost eternally green. I didn’t take me long to seek to indulge my passion in wine and plant some grapes.

"The rest as they say is history."

So there you have it. A man who has had a profound impact on wine history in both Tasmania and on the Mornington Peninsula. 

Crafted from estate-grown fruit, these cool-climate pinots pinot noirs offer a glimpse of the artistic mind behind the labels. 

See https://www.crittendenwines.com.au/

Meet a wine man who was ahead of his time

It is 40 years since Mornington Peninsula wine industry pioneer Garry Crittenden, along with family and friends, planted two hectares of vines in one weekend at Dromana and doubled the total amount of vines planted on the peninsula.

Today, of course, the Mornington Peninsula is regarded as one of Australia's premier cool-climate vineyard regions, known around the world for the quality of its pinot noir and chardonnay.

Earlier this month the Crittenden family celebrated 40 years of their involvement in wine on the Mornington Peninsula and reflecting on the dedication of founders Garry and and the late Margaret Crittenden, who died a couple of years ago.

"Why 40 years?" asks my old friend Garry. "Well as I’m in my 80th year now its statistically unlikely that I’ll be around to do 50."



To mark the milestone, Crittenden Estate has released a special pinot noir (above).

When I first started writing about wines in the 1980s, Garry Crittenden was waxing lyrical about not only the Mornington Peninsula, but also the huge potential for Italian grape varieties in Australia.

He was right on both counts.

Today, Crittenden Estate, as the business is now known, is still a family affair and is run by winemaking son Rollo and his sister Zoe.

Garry Crittenden was the first winemaker in Australia to commercialise Italian wine varieties, and was also a pioneered of sustainable farming and regenerative practices, eschewing synthetic chemicals and using only biological farming methods to restore and maintain the health of the soil.

If you visit, you will almost certainly be shown, with pride, the giant compost heap.

Nowadays Garry Crittenden is semi-retired but sill emails regularly and acts as an ambassador for the business.

"In commemoration of that historic time in 1972, I have made a batch of 2021 pinot labelled “40 YEARS ON “," he says.

It's a fine wine that appeared on my doorstep recently, along with some other wines marking important milestones.

Beginning from the early 1980s Garry's late wife Margaret diligently collected press clippings about the Mornington Peninsula wine industry.

In recent years Garry resurrected these clippings and collated them into a book. See here.

The Crittendens have always been among the most generous people in the wine industry. Let's raise a glass to them.

# Tasmanians may be interested to know that Garry Crittenden, along with Tony Jordan and Bill Casimaty, was responsible for planting the Tolpuddle vineyard - perhaps the state's most globally famous vineyard - back in 1988, when the modern Tasmanian wine industry was in its infancy.

Retired winemaker makes his comeback a winner

Garry Crittenden is like a retired boxer coming back for one more bout.

Except this comeback story is a roaring success, with the industry innovator producing a stellar Nero d'Avola at the age of 78.

Crittenden was one of the Australian pioneers of Italian grape varieties in Australia, and one of the first winemakers I met, probably three decades ago. A lovely man then and he remains so today. 

The former Dromana Estate kingpin stood down as winemaker at family business Crittenden Estate several years ago, handing over the reins to son Rollo Crittenden.

Then, back in early in 2020 as vintage approached, Rollo took Garry aside and advised that he'd secured a parcel of Nero d’Avola grapes and wondered if Garry might like to "have a play".

"I could hardly believe my luck and couldn’t wait to don my orange vest and pull on my Blundstones again," Garry Crittenden said.

"In the 20 years I worked with Italian grapes they were varieties entirely from the north of Italy ... and here I was being presented with a belated chance to have a play again." 

Crittenden has just released his Nero d’Avola Catto - and it is a ripper, with unmistakeably Italian-accented savoury notes.

Medium-bodied and elegant, the limited release is available for $30, or in six-bottle wine packs with free delivery Australia wide,

Plus you'll receive a booklet detailing the origins of the Catto label - and a surprise family dsicovery - and more on Garry's role in the development of Italian Varietals in Australia.

Garry Crittenden is a true pioneer. He was among the first vintners to see the potential of the Mornington Peninsula as a serious wine region along with visionary Nat White at Main Ridge.

With a background in horticulture and inspired by his long-standing love of wine, Garry transitioned from a nurseryman into viticulture just as the Peninsula was emerging as a wine growing area.

His first modest five acres more than doubled the area under vine in the region. Since those first plantings in 1982, his commitment to the region has seen the Mornington Peninsula flourish.

He was also the first winemaker in Australia to commercialise Italian wine varieties, introducing varieties such as barbera, nebbiolo, dolcetto and sangiovese to both Victoria and Australia. He was behind the Schinus and Garry Crittenden ‘I’ labels, and later Pinocchio.

Now he's working with a grape that has its origins near the town of Avola in southern Sicily.

"Over the years I have drunk many Italian Nero d’Avolas and never cease to be amazed that grapes from such a warm latitude can produce wines of such elegance and finesse," Crittenden says.

"They are always bright and fresh with astonishing crimson luminescence, somewhere between say a pinot noir and a shiraz.

"This one is true to style and I'm delighted with the result. A pretty, floral and spicy nose with lots of red fruits. The flavours on the palate are mouth-filling, juicy and finish with eastern spices."

See www.crittendenwines.com.au