New president for the Swan Valley Winemakers

Last week the Swan Valley Winemakers Association held their AGM and a new president was elected: Lauren Pileggi, assistant winemaker from Mandoon Estate.

Pileggi was born and raised in the Swan Valley and Perth Hills. She graduated from Curtin University in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science in Viticulture and Oenology and as part of her studies relocated to Margaret River.

After two vintages at Devil’s Lair, she moved overseas to Oregon where she completed two more vintages at A to Z Wineworks and Rex Hill in the Willamette Valley.

There she gained more experience in the vineyard and also spent time in the winery assisting in the lab and working through the bottling process.

2014 marked the beginning of Pileggi’s winemaking career in the Swan Valley when she started working at Mandoon Estate.

The focus at Mandoon is on producing a boutique range of premium wines from well-preserved, low-yielding single vineyard sites, using traditional methods that clearly demonstrate both varietal and regional characteristics.

Pileggi was an Associate Judge for the Swan Valley Wine Show in 2015 and joined the wine show committee in 2017. She said she saw wine shows as a great opportunity for winemakers to benchmark their wines against others in the region.

Her passion for making award winning wines is evident and she said she was keen to broaden the reach of the Swan Valley.

“I’m looking forward to the next two years as President for the Swan Valley Winemakers Association,” she said.

“I want to continue to see our social media presence grow and strengthen our relationships with local and national stakeholders.”

She takes over from Garth Cliff, Owner and Winemaker from Vino Volta, who is rotating off from the President role but will remain on the executive committee in the role of Vice President.

The Association is the voice of the local wine industry to Government, Industry and affiliate bodies and their primary purpose is to keep their members informed.

The Association’s mission is to represent, support and assist the winemakers of the Swan Valley by showcasing the regions premium wines in consultation with key stakeholders of the region.

 

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