Hamish Maguire
Australia
Hamish's Wines
- Australia
- 2 wines
- 1 style
Naked Angels make his dream a reality
- Hamish has been working in vineyards since he was old enough to pick up a spade. His father was a Winemaker so Hamish and his brothers spent much of their youth pulling weeds and training young vines.
- Decades later and his weed pulling experience looks has stood him in pretty good stead. Hamish now runs his own winery in Australia's prestigious McLaren Vale, which Hamish (and a fair few of you would agree) has dubbed one of the best wine regions in the world.
- Tasty, juicy and balanced are the key criteria for every last drop of Hamish's wines. Working predominantly with McLaren's Shiraz and Grenache grapes, you can rely on Hamish to pull powerful and outrageously delicious big reds out of the bag time after time.
Hamish Maguire's Story
What's your background?
I grew up in a wine family, my father was a wine maker and my brothers and I spend our youth training vines, pulling weeds and checking drippers.
Why did you become a winemaker?
I initially wanted a career in business but after study, felt myself pulled back to my agricultural roots and have found a job that allows me to mix outdoor pursuits with the cut and thrust of the business world.
How long have you been making wine?
20 years seriously, but have been in and around cellars for over 30 years.
What is it about your job that you love?
Firstly I love the weather, I love being outside and I love the flow of the seasons. Making wine is more about how the seasons run into each other and the tasks that are required as we move from Spring, through Summer and into Autumn. I like the connections that wine brings and I love the people that work with me along the way.
What makes your wines special?
We are in Mclaren Vale, one of the best regions to grow wines in the world. Blending: We make a lot of wine, having option swhen it comes to blending the final product allows us to really experiment and put together tasty, juicy, balanced wines.
Which varietal / style is your passion and why?
Being in Mclaren Vale we are pretty big red wine fans. Whether its juicy Grenache, powerful Shiraz or varietal Cabernet, we love the balance and flavour this wonderful region brings. Blending in unusual varietals, or non traditional mixes is what the Engine Room is about.
Any tales of joy or sorrow along the way?
There is always things that could have been better, moments of hindsight that help you see a challenge more quickly but I am not one to dwell. You need to be able to make decisions quickly in business (wine) and then stand by your convictions. Its a thrill when we win trophy's but its just as bigger thrill to have an Angel to contact me to say that a particular wine was served at their wedding or other family celebrations. It makes you realise how much joy wine can bring.
Why did you join?
I have been a Naked Winemaker since 2012, it has allowed me to listen to the Angels and blend wines that I hope are juicy and delicious. We have grown our little brand to be bigger than we thought and the security of the annual sales has allowed us to make long term commitments to growers and suppliers.
Hamish's Activity
Hi Angels
The Engine Room has been in full swing with much of our grapes coming into the winery for process in the last two weeks.
Pictured here is our delicious Sangiovese going through open ferment. The colour, smell and tannins are incredible so there is much to look forward to.
It’s been an unusual vintage this year with such mild conditions here in South Australia, but the last few weeks have been jam-packed.
As the cogs are still very much turning in the Engine Room it’s going to be a big weekend here. Any recommendations for quick and easy dinner ideas I’m all ears!
More good wine news to come!
Hope you all have a great weekend.
Cheers
Hamish
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(latest reply 12 months ago)
Simon (and Penny) Fisher
Hopefully the light at the end of the tunnel is now visible. Keep up the good work! Full steam ahead Engine Room!!!
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2 years ago
Sheila Johnston
Angel
Dear Hamish,
We very much enjoyed 'The Mechanic"!
But sadly, Naked Wines has run out.
Will there be any more coming?
Thank you
Sheila
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12 months ago
Happy Friday Angels!
The Weather here in McLaren Vale, South Australia looks fantastic this weekend, the grapes are finally starting to ripen up nicely, but we’re all patiently waiting for the fun of Vintage 2023 to begin. Everyone at the Engine Room is raring to go!
To welcome in the weekend, tonight I’m drinking my Sparkling Blanc de Blancs which is pairing well with some local South Australian cheese. What are you drinking tonight? Comment below 👇🏻
Have a great weekend Angels!
Cheers
Hamish
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(latest reply 2 years ago)
Paul Lawton
Angel
An Aussie Sparking Blanc de Blancs? There's always room for more "Bubbles" on Naked Wines shelves, Hamish. 👍
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2 years ago
Julie Boulton
Angel
Last night we did a Pinot Grigio blush taste off Hamish. Stefano di Blasi won hands down!
We also had some Montepulciano d'Abruzzo with pasta, meatballs and a very tasty fresh burrata.
I must have asked before, but we need more sparkling red over here!
Hope all is well and all the best for the harvest. I know some of your compatriots are experiencing lower yields and rained out vineyards. Please keep us posted.
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2 years ago
Hi Angels!
Wow! I am thrilled to announce that my 2021 Engine Room Shiraz Mataro Grenache has won the trophy for Best Shiraz Predominant Blend at the 2022 McLaren Vale Wine Show in Australia!
This wine is exclusive to Naked Wines Australia and has been a favourite of the Australian Angels for some time now.
To be awarded a trophy at the esteemed McLaren Vale Wine Show means a lot to all of us here in the Engine Room, and without the continued support of the Naked Wines Angels, this wine wouldn’t be possible. We’ll be celebrating this weekend, and I promise to have a glass on behalf of you all across the pond.
Cheers to you all 🍷
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View all 7 replies…
(latest reply 2 years ago)
Pen Thompson
Angel
Congratulations ! You and the delicious Engine room Shiraz are worthy winners !
Pen
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2 years ago
Paul Lawton
Angel
Many congratulations on receiving this award at the 2022 McLaren Vale Wine Show, Hamish. 👍
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2 years ago
Julie Boulton
Angel
Well done Hamish! Please send more of your wines to the UK!! 🍷🍷🍷
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2 years ago
Hi Angels,
Hope you’re somewhere warm and cosy – it’s blowing a gale here and has been crazy wet over the last few days. We have been so busy pruning here this week because Spring is just around the corner. Speaking of Spring, we think we might see a few new Engine Room friends getting around next week, in the form of little ducklings. Not sure if it was mum or dad, but one of the ducks made sure I knew not to come anywhere near it while I was pruning…
I’ve been wondering too, what would you like to see more of on my page Angels? Would you like to know more about the winery, how the unreleased wines are currently maturing or what a day in the life of a winemaker looks like? Comment your suggestions below.
I’m going to go inside and duck for cover 😉 Have a great weekend Angels!
Cheers,
Hamish
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(latest reply 3 years ago)
Julie Boulton
Angel
We enjoy seeing pictures of the local wildlife Hamish, also local scenery.
We especially like seeing warm and sunny places during the winter months.
It's warm here, with a smattering of rain after an extended period of heat, though some unfortunate souls have suffered flash floods.
Would love to see the ducklings!
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3 years ago
Paul Lawton
Angel
Many congratulations on getting a Bronze and a Silver medal in this year's IWSC Competition for your The Mechanic Shiraz Cabernet 2018 and your Engine Room McLaren Vale Shiraz 2018 respectively, Hamish. How long does the latter remain fermenting in American oak?
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3 years ago
It’s been wild and woolly here the last two days, overnight we had more than 35mm! So good to see the vines get a drenching. We’re getting ready for Spring!
This is what Alfie, my black lab, gets up to when he isn’t helping out in the vineyards or winery… since it’s been wet outside, this is him this afternoon. Ruff life, right?
Hope you all have a great weekend angels!
Cheers
Hamish
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(latest reply 3 years ago)
Paul Lawton
Angel
At least you have left Alfie some reading material Hamish. 👍
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3 years ago
Hi Angels
Hope you’re all well and keeping warm in this winter weather. We are in the midst of pruning, getting the vines back to two node prune ready for when spring arrives in September.
Two node prune refers to how the cane has “nodes” on them, and we trim it back so each cane only exposes two nodes. We find this gives us optimal fruit come harvest time, and assists with canopy management throughout the growing season.
A few sour sobs are around too… must be all the rain we’ve had!
Hope you all had a great week and are in for an even better weekend.
Cheers
Hamish
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(latest reply 3 years ago)
Timothy Davies
Angel
Forgive my ignorance but what are the lovely yellow flowers?
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3 years ago
Simon (and Penny) Fisher
Google was my friend here Tim. They are Sour Sobs a weed (also known as the Bermuda Buttercup!)
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3 years ago
Timothy Davies
Angel
Thank you Simon, they still look lovely! However the Lawn Solutions web page does suggest that they are somewhat difficult to eradicate and are flowering in South Australia at exactly the suggested time.
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3 years ago
Hamish Maguire
Winemaker
They’re a weed Timothy! But they flourish at this time of year when we’ve had good rain. They’re not too much of a pest, they die as soon as it gets hot.
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3 years ago
Hi Angels,
This image looks pretty gross, right? Sorry about that! But, it’s all for a very worthy reason.
This is a centuries-old French technique where our Chardonnay ferments inside the barrel. We split the portion of juice up and some goes into stainless steel ferment, the rest goes into brand new French oak barrels. The result of doing this technique, then leaving the Chardonnay to mature in the same barrel? A creamy, textural and soft style of Chardonnay.
This is what I do to my Winemakers Single Vineyard Reserve Chardonnay, and that special wine is exactly what I am drinking tonight! I hope you are all well and wishing you all a fun weekend ahead.
Cheers
Hamish
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(latest reply 3 years ago)
Paul Lawton
Angel
I hope that this/some of this is destined for us in the U.K. Hamish?
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3 years ago
Hope you’re all well angels. Here is a final vintage update for 2022.
🥂 cheers
Hamish
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(latest reply 3 years ago)
I can’t believe I’m saying this in May, but Ferments are still going… it feels like it’s been a long vintage this year… and maybe that’s because we started crushing way back in February!!
I hope you all have a great weekend Angels. I am patiently waiting to be able to say “and that was vintage 2022…” but that won’t be for another couple weeks yet 😉
Cheers
Hamish
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(latest reply 3 years ago)
Paul Lawton
Angel
Seeing fellow Aussie winemaker, Jen Pfeiffer, just finishing her 2022 vintage - it just goes to show how vast a country Australia is, Hamish - with her being 521 miles East of you, I believe? All the very best for the remainder of this harvest. 👍
