our team
Mac Forbes
Mac Forbes first donned the overalls in France at 19 years of age where he worked vintage, then he did the Roseworthy winemaking thing, spent some time at iconic Yarra Valley winery Mount Mary and now he's making booze up in the Yarra with convincing retro-modern attitude.
He's bringing on his old world experience and making some wine in Austria, where he built a following as a savvy young consultant. While Mac's wines are never in a rush, we wish we could say the same about Mac. Somehow Mac manages to be in control with a million things on the go all at once. Producing great booze is the ambition and everything else is there to support this goal.
Tony Fikkers, winemaker
Tony's interest in wine was born from necessity. Growing up in the NSW steel town of Wollongong, he learnt early on that taking red wine to parties kept his booze out of the communal esky and safe from the sticky fingers of those who brought two long necks of beer in the hope they would last the night.
A fascination with fermented grapes followed and Tony came to the conclusion that a move from the south-coast was inevitable if he was to pursue his dream of becoming a winemaker. Tony did time in the in the Hunter Valley at Mount Pleasant, De Bortoli, Tyrrells and Pooles Rock wineries while honing his craft at Charles Sturt University.
A "vine-change" in 2006 resulted in a move to Victoria's Yarra Valley and a role at Punt Road Wines. A year after the move Tony stumbled across Mac Forbes and, after playing hard-to-get Mac asked him to join the team at the start of the 2007 vintage.
Tony's assault on the international wine scene includes vintages in Baden, Germany and in Piedmont, Italy.
His spare time is spent indulging in his true loves - cooking and cruising the 'warby' trail with his partner Liz and their trusty canine companion Sprog riding in his K9 carrier.
Dylan Grigg, viticulturalist
Dylan is a product of his environment. Growing up in South Australia's best known wine region, the Barossa Valley, he was surrounded by vines and the wine industry. Initially starting a chef's apprenticeship after school, his interest in the career disappeared soon after realising the negative impact the work hours were having on his social life. A job pruning vines after retiring from his chef apprenticeship resulted in a traineeship in the wine industry.
Dylan spent his early years learning the trade at a small vineyard in his home town of Lyndoch in the Barossa. The excitement of following the fruit from the vineyard to the open fermenter had him hooked and Dylan worked his first vintage at St Hallet Wines in 1999.
Dylan has worked in all areas of winemaking from managing vineyards to sitting in darkened viticulture labs counting and photographing pollen tubes. After finishing his science degree at the University of Adelaide Dylan spent time on Waiheke Island in New Zealand where he enjoyed the unique viticulture of the area and labour intensive operations on some precarious slopes.
Working at Mac Forbes allows Dylan to indulge in two of his passions: growing premium grapes and working with dedicated growers.
Michelle Bentley, accounts manager
Michelle was raised by wolves in North-East Victoria. As part of a rehabilitation program for the criminally insane she applied for a job with Mac Forbes Wines. Lucky for her they don't check references and now her work is her life.