Brooke Blair - Lead Winemaker

Brooke Blair grew up in Mount Gambier, a thriving community in the heart of South Australia’s Limestone Coast, and in amongst one of Australia’s most prolific wine regions. Although she first started her tertiary studies in commerce, she soon changed her career direction and decided to pursue winemaking. 

After graduating from the University of Adelaide with a degree in Oenology, Brooke spent three vintages working at Hollick Wines in Coonawarra. With a wealth of local experience, she then travelled to Spain and enjoyed her first vintage in the Northern Hemisphere. However, Canada captured Brooke’s heart for the next 11 years. While based in Canada, she also had the opportunity to travel to Chile and work on the 2008 vintage, strengthening her winemaking skills further. After more than a decade of winemaking in Canada, Brooke decided it was time to come home Down Under. 

Upon Brooke’s return to Australian soil, she continued her winemaking career in The Riverland and Currency Creek wine regions, before being offered a winemaking position with Peter Lehmann Wines. Since joining the Casella Family Brands team in 2017, with the acquisition of Shaw Family Vintners, Brooke has consistently worked on improving the quality and consistency of the Shaw label offering. Her success in this endeavour was demonstrated in the 2022 wine show season, with every wine produced receiving a gold medal at one of the major capital city shows. This is a remarkable achievement, as you can count the total amount of gold medal-winning merlot wines in Australia on only one hand. 

Brooke also has the unique ability to tweak bulk wine blends to meet demanding customer requirements. Having spent several years working at Hollick Estate in Coonawarra, she has the experience, knowledge and ability to drive the success of Brand’s Laira into the future. She is thrilled to be a part of such an esteemed winemaking team and looks forward to upholding the rich legacy of Brand’s Laira of Coonawarra as Senior Winemaker.