DR BAILEY Carrodus, one of the great modern day wine pioneers of the Yarra Valley, died, aged 78, on September 19 after a short illness. Dr Carrodus founded Yarra Yering, a 12ha vineyard at Gruyere in 1969, and was among a handful of pioneering winemakers who brought the Yarra Valley back to the grape in the 1970s following its first but short-lived wine boom of the 1800s.
Yarra Yering was always going to be different. Dr Carrodus sought a classical purity in his wines that went beyond winemaking trends or consumer fads. He was renowned for pouring wines down the drain and de-classifying wines that didn't meet Yarra Yering standards. His wines, like his labels, rarely changed. There was Dry Red No. 1, a blend of classic Bordeaux grape varieties, and Dry Red No. 2, a Cote Rotie style blend of shiraz and viognier.
The latter style he pioneered and in turn helped influence one of Australia's
leading winemakers, Clonakilla's Tim Kirk, who regarded Dr Carrodus as a mentor: "He was a brilliant, complex, determined individual who taught me that making great wine is a task worth dedicating your life to."
Dr Carrodus was impervious to wine writers, the influential wine show system or the admonitions of his fellow winemakers. When he put a $100 price tag on a Yarra Yering merlot in 1990, making it one of the most expensive wines in Australia, he was taken to task - but he didn't seem to mind. Today the wine sells for $150 a bottle, a relatively modest sum compared to some prices charged.
He went on to produce a Dry Red No. 3 in the 1990s using Portuguese port varieties led by tinta cao and touriga. Again, there were critics who suggested that a cool climate Yarra Valley vineyard should be the last place to grow port varieties. Clearly, they hadn't tasted the wine. Next came Italian varieties sangiovese and barbera.
Dr Carrodus was blessed with an extraordinary natural winemaking ability coupled with a brilliant brain. He had a Master of Science degree from Victoria University, Wellington, and a doctorate in plant physiology from Oxford, as well as winemaking qualifications from Roseworthy College. He had lectured in botany at both Adelaide and Melbourne universities and worked for the CSIRO before turning to winemaking full-time.
He never married. Yarra Yering was his life. His executors have indicated that winemaking will continue at Yarra Yering and the vineyard and winery will be sold as a going concern.