Kate Goodman
Australia
Kate's Wines
- Australia
- 1Â wine
- 1Â style
Award-winning Coonawarra winemaker shaking things up in one of Oz's most traditional wine regions
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Before she became a winemaker, Kate Goodman was on course for a career in biomedical science. But after finishing her studies, she quickly realised that a life spent in a lab wasn’t for her. Thankfully, she’d specialised in fermentation. So in a slam dunk move, she traded in her white coat for a pair of grape-stained jeans and hasn’t looked back since.
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Kate now has over 30 vintages under her belt, working at top wineries around Australia - in places like McLaren Vale, the Grampians, and Yarra Valley - as well as France, Spain, and the USA. And she’s earned a reputation as a forward-thinking winemaker who’s not afraid to shake things up “if you don't experiment and push boundaries you’re never going to improve your wine quality.”
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In 2016, Kate came to Coonawarra, one of Australia’s most traditional wine regions, where her new, modern-style Penley Estate wines have earned her top plaudits. Including being named 2018 Winemaker of the Year at the Australian Women in Wine Awards. An incredible accolade!
Vineyard Location
Kate Goodman's Story
Kate's Story
I grew up on the coast just South of Sydney and had the outdoors in my blood from a very young age.
After finishing high school I moved to Sydney to study biomedical science but it didn’t take long to realise that a lab coat and a life indoors was not going to satisfy me. With electives in fermentation, food technology and environmental microbiology a new world was opened and it was the wine industry thatcaught my eye.
I have made wine around the world and travelled extensively. I have completed over 30 vintages, across 4 countries. In 2019, I was named as the Female winemaker of the year at the Australian Wimen in Wine awards.
Why did I become a winemaker? The opportunity to work with the seasons and make something unique yet related every year was to good to pass on. It crosses the lines of science and creativity.
The things I love most about winemaking are the people and the product. A simple process of fermentation can transform grapes into an intriguing drink, it is a magical process.
Every season brings the opportunity to experiment, when this works and you produce something delicious, I get a little internal buzz and a spark of joy.
I believe that wines should smell, taste and feel good and if I’m lucky invoke an emotional response and take the consumer somewhere. My wines truly reflect their origins .
My favourite is Cabernet Sauvignon, the king of grapes. This variety can be made into the most majestic and age worthy wines as well as the most textural savoury wines for earlier drinking.
