Rick Staniford has been appointed Winemaker at Bunnamagoo Wines, Mudgee, where has already started on the 2024 vintage. Rick has made the move west in the wake of a successful ten years working for Agnew Wines in the Hunter Valley.
“I am very excited to be working again with a family-owned vineyard,” he said.
“I look forward to using what I have learned throughout my career at Bunnamagoo to inform both the winemaking and growing practices, especially what I have learned through the accreditation process of Sustainable Winegrowing Australia (SWA).”
Owned by the Paspaley family, the Bunnamagoo Estate is located near Rockley, south of the town of Bathurst, whilst the winery is located in Mudgee.
“With my move from the Hunter Valley to Mudgee there are some similarities between the two regions in their climate and growing challenges which will allow me to apply my existing knowledge, particularly in white winemaking, while the differences in soil and climate will provide challenges for me to explore different techniques and accentuate the individuality of the vineyard sites.” he said.
During his time at Agnew, Rick collected a vast swathe of accolades, including two 97 point wines and two 96 point wines in the Halliday Wine Companion 2024 alone.
“We are excited to welcome Rick and his extensive winemaking knowledge and practices, developed in a 10-year tenure, at one of the Hunter Valley’s largest and most prestigious wineries,” said Michael Hatcher, Bunnamagoo Wines Operations Manager.
“His commitment to vineyard health and practices is also outstanding, adopting an attitude of sustainability to strive for naturally healthy environments to support high-performing grapevines.”
Rick is already feeling hopeful about the upcoming vintage.
“Vineyard management changes are focusing on quality rather than quantity of fruit through a pruning change from spur to cane pruning. This exciting change coupled with renewed focus in the winemaking should see improvements in the quality and complexity of the wines from 2024.
“Vintage 2024 is going to be one of learning, excitement and hard work. I can’t wait to see the results in the bottle later in the year!”
