HUNTER VALLEY LEGENDS
Iain Riggs, AM - Managing Director, Chief Winemaker and part owner of Brokenwood Wines, has taken Brokenwood from a small 'hobby' winery to the national and international arena. Iain's skills in white winemaking revolutionized Brokenwood, which, when he joined, only produced red wines. Brokenwood Wines is in its 35th vintage with Iain at the helm.
Born in Burra, South Australia, Iain took an early interest in winemaking. He studied at Roseworthy College between 1972 and 1975, followed by stints at both Bleasdale and Hazelmore in McLaren Vale. It was here that sparked his interest in varietal blending, soon becoming a pioneer of that now famous combination of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. At Hazelmore, the ambitious winemaker focused on white wines, and was crowned McLaren Vale Bushing King in 1982 with his multi trophy winning Chardonnay.
Iain’s strong interest in ‘improving the breed’ of Australian wine has seen him in many judging and chair roles. Some of his highlights include Chairman of the Hunter Valley Wine Show and Associate Judge with the Sydney Royal Wine Show. He was an inaugural Board member of the Winemakers Federation of Australia, Vice President of the Australian Winemakers Forum, and Chair of the Technical Sub-committee. In late 2016, the Australian Women in Wine Awards recognised Iain and Brokenwood Wines as the Workplace Champion of Change for a long history of promoting women within the workplace.
In June of 2018, Iain was named as a member of the Order of Australia in recognition of his significant service to oenology as a Winemaker, to the development of the Australian wine industry, and to the promotion of the Hunter Valley region.
Iain is the driving force behind Brokenwood's flagship wine, the Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz and its promotion as a unique Single Vineyard Shiraz. Rated as Exceptional in the Langton's Classification of Australian Wine, it is still the only Hunter Valley Shiraz to feature. Iain is also a great promoter of Hunter Valley Semillon with the highly acclaimed Iain Leslie Riggs Reserve Semillon as the Brokenwood flagship white.
Iain Riggs was inducted as a Living Legend in 2021.