Rory Clifton-Parks
Australia
When he's not surfing or boxing, he's scouting out Angel gems at his employer's large winery in Margaret River
- Growing up in the beachside suburbs of Perth, Rory Clifton-Parks developed an early love of the salt, sand and sun that his coastal surroundings enveloped him in.
- Rory has been winemaking for 6 years now, having first started working for Evans and Tate and Boar's Rock in Western Australia.
- Rory strives to make high quality wines which reflect the terroir of the region. With some of the best facilites Margaret River has to offer, Rory gets great satisfaction from seeing fruit processed through to the final bottled product.
Vineyard Location
Rory Clifton-Parks's Story
Rory Clifton-Parks's Story
"Growing up in the beachside suburbs of Perth's North Beach, Trigg and Scarborough, I developed an early love of the salt, sand and sun that my coastal surroundings enveloped me in. With aspirations to start my own landscape gardening business, I completed TAFE certificates in
Horticulture and Small Business upon graduating from high school.
It was through taking time out after completing my studies to embark on a working holiday in the South West where I retreated to nature and found myself camping at Yallingup and working in a vineyard for the first time.
After absorbing these new surroundings - which offered a beautiful balance of beach and bush - I came to realise that the South West offered the perfect lifestyle and this inspired me to commence studying Viticulture at Curtin University so I could one day return and settle in the region.
An enthusiastic interest in the science of winemaking saw me complete my Oenology degree and in 2006 I visited Sonoma in California where I worked for a small family-owned and operated winery. Besides making and drinking extremely good wine I surfed northern California on my time off and managed to sneak in a surf trip to Mexico!
Upon returning to WA, and just as planned, my chosen career path enabled me to relocate to the south and between 2007-2011 I worked as a winemaker for Evans and Tate and Boar's Rock.
Having recently commenced winemaking for Franklin Tate Estates, I strive to make high quality wines which reflect the Terrior of the region. With some of the best facilities Margaret River has to offer at my disposal, I get great satisfaction from seeing fruit processed through to the final bottled product.
It may come as no surprise that my palate is biased towards Margaret River varietals and styles and I can often be found indulging in a well deserved glass or two of Chardonnay, Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon after a long day at the vineyard.
Spending my time immersed in a natural environment and surfing the enviable breaks of the Margaret River coastline, my passion for my region is surpassed only by my passion to bottle the beauty of Margaret River and share it with the rest of the world."
