TOP WINEMAKER GOES HOME

WINESTATE'S 2008 winemaker of the year, Mark Lane, has been lured from Western Australia back to his home state of Victoria by Balgownie Estate, which has vineyards in Bendigo and the Yarra Valley. Mark's passion for cabernet took him to Margaret River in 1997, where he spent the majority of his 12 years establishing two major ‘new wave' wine brands, Flying Fish and Swings & Roundabouts. His move back to Victoria was, he says, inevitable. It was driven by the chance to work on an iconic central Victorian wine brand. "The opportunity to work with a 40-year-old vineyard and a brand that has held such respect throughout its history is very exciting," he said. He succeeds Tobias Anstead as chief winemaker.