About this episode

Gwyn Olsen discusses her journey in winemaking and the intricacies of producing iconic wines at Henschke.

In this episode of the Halliday Wine Companion Podcast, Anna Webster sits down with Gwyn Olsen, senior winemaker at Henschke, one of Australia’s most iconic family-owned wineries. Gwyn’s path into wine was anything but predictable. Born in Cairns and raised in Indonesia, she went on to study biochemistry before discovering winemaking through postgraduate oenology at the University of Adelaide. From her first vintage in the south of France – a job she landed thanks to Google Translate – to roles at Villa Maria, McWilliam’s, Mount Pleasant, Briar Ridge and Pepper Tree, Gwyn’s career has been shaped by science, resilience, family-owned wine businesses and a love of site-driven winemaking. Now based in the Barossa’s Eden Valley, Gwyn shares what it is like to work with some of the most famous vineyard sites in Australia, including Hill of Grace, Mount Edelstone, The Wheelwright and Cyril Henschke. She talks about the pressure of making wines with such deep history, the importance of patience in the winery, and how small one-percent improvements in picking, topping, sulphur, oak and blending can help protect and elevate Henschke’s…

People in this episode

Host: Anna Webster

Guest: Gwyn Olsen

Topics covered

• winemaking
• Henschke winery
• wine history
• sustainability
• vineyard management
• family-owned businesses

Keywords

• Henschke
• winemaker
• Barossa Valley
• wine production
• sustainability
• vineyards
• oenology
• family business
• wine legacy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Henschke, University of Adelaide, Villa Maria, McWilliam’s, Mount Pleasant, Briar Ridge, Pepper Tree

Books & works: Hill of Grace, Mount Edelstone, The Wheelwright, Cyril Henschke, The Nurturer

Places: Barossa’s Eden Valley, Cairns, Indonesia

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