Generational change is active within many family-owned wineries, with names like Maxwell, Melton, Mitchell and Duval crafting succession plans that don’t just involve winemakers.

Posted onThe Adelaide Review- 26 August 2020 by David Sly

Mitchell Wines in Clare has enjoyed success since 1975, steered by Andrew Mitchell’s fastidious winemaking and his wife Jane’s vigorous marketing. With the couple now enjoying retirement, their three children are running the winery – none of them involved in making wine.

“I’ve always resisted the cult of the gun winemaker being the sole focus of attention,” says Andrew Mitchell. “I see it as a peculiarly Australian thing – you see the brand or the chateau mentioned first throughout Europe. I’ve always considered that the winemaker is only one cog in the enterprise – and, if anything, the work of the grape grower is probably the most essential contribution.”

He’s therefore delighted at the decisions son Angus is taking as viticulture manager and winery general manager. The quality of Mitchell’s vineyard sites at Sevenhill, Watervale and Auburn has given the wines a distinctive edge, and Angus’s focus on soil regeneration, eliminating artificial pesticides and herbicides has resulted in improved vine health.

Angus is working with his sisters, Edwina and Hilary, taking Mitchell Wines into a new era that speaks clearly to their generation, while continuing to embrace their traditional customers. Part of this is introducing a new range of single vineyard wines, the Kinsfolk range, that embrace bright, modern winemaking.

“Having two ranges allows us to talk about past and present,” says Edwina. “We’ve kept the Mitchell label traditional and consistent, but the Kinsfolk wines show that there’s a new side to what we’re all about.”

“We’ve kept the Mitchell label traditional and consistent, but the Kinsfolk wines show that there’s a new side to what we’re all about.”

Edwina Mitchell