Beach Road

Briony (winemaker) and Tony (viticulturist) Hoare began their life partnership after meeting while studying wine science at the Roseworthy campus of Adelaide University. Their involvement in the industry dates back to the early 1990s, Briony working around Australia with many of the flagship wines of (then) Southcorp,Tony gaining extensive experience in Mildura, the Hunter Valley and McLaren Vale (where he spent five years as viticulturist for Wirra Wirra). In 2005 the pair decided to go it alone, setting up a wine consultancy, and in '07 launching Beach Road. The focus on Italian varieties stems from Briony's vintage in Piedmont, where she worked with barbera, nebbiolo, cortese and moscato. Along the way, however, they both had a lot of exposure to grenache, shiraz and mourvedre. -JAMES HALLIDAY