Teresa Heuzenroeder, an industry veteran and distinguished winemaker, has been appointed senior winemaker and manager for Accolade Wines’ historic Tintara facility.

In addition, Teresa will take on the role of senior winemaker for the Petaluma and Croser brands.

This announcement follows the decision by Mike Mudge to step down from the role of senior winemaker and manager at Petaluma.

Initially specialising in food and wine chemistry, Teresa entered the wine industry as a microbiologist before combining this knowledge and expertise into winemaking.

Ms Heuzenroeder is joining Accolade Wines after a 26-year career at Yalumba, where she held senior winemaking roles across a number of Yalumba and Hill Smith Family vineyard brands.

Sandy Mayo, chief marketing officer at Accolade Wines, said “we recently bid farewell to Mike Mudge as our senior winemaker and manager at Petaluma”.

“Mike has been integral to the growth and success of the Petaluma and Croser brands, and has been an upholder of quality and an ambassador for the Adelaide Hills region. We would like to thank Mike for his outstanding contribution to Petaluma and Croser over 30 years and we wish him and his family every success for the future.”

“Having the opportunity to join the amazing team at Accolade Wines and learn from world-class experts including Ed and Nigel, was a big drawcard for me,” said Heuzenroeder.

“The Tintara site has such strong heritage as a distinguished winemaking facility and I am so excited to work with some of the most respected Australian wine brands.

“I look forward to coming on-board with Accolade Wines and bringing a new set of skills and perspective to help take these wines to new levels.”

Sandy said Accolade Wines is delighted to welcome Teresa to the company.

“Teresa, who is well known to the industry, is a highly experienced winemaker. We are excited for her to join our talented team at Tintara and look forward to seeing the great work she does in her new role,” she said.

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