Vini Viti Vici: For The 49th Yalumba The Signature Vintage

The Rugby World Cup is a great reminder of the value of teamwork. Sure every successful team has their superstars who run in spectacular solo tries or exhibit masterful control of the play around the field – but inevitably the winning team is the one with the best teamwork on display. This is the side stacked with lesser-known stars who just do their jobs of tackling, clearing out opponents at the ruck or putting their heads in dark places in order to win a crucial turnover. These players may earn fewer column centimetres in the post-match articles than what their superstar teammates receive but they will have been just as crucial in winning the trophy.

A double signing

This same kind of selfless teamwork ethos is also highly valued at legendary Australian winemaker Yalumba as each year an individual who has made a significant contribution to the company’s culture and traditions is honoured with their signature applied to that year’s The Signature Cabernet Sauvignon & Shiraz. This tradition has been in effect since 1962 and has become a cornerstone of the Yalumba culture, surprising even the management as to just how much this accolade means to all who work there.

This year, for the 49th naming of The Signature Cabernet Sauvignon & Shiraz, Yalumba has decided to really celebrate the company’s vaunted teamwork by dedicating this year’s vintage to two individuals rather than the usual one. Robert Hill-Smith, the fifth-generation proprietor of Yalumba, announced that this year The Signature vintage would feature the monikers of both Kevin Glastonbury and Robin Nettelbeck. ‘This is vini and viti together,’ he said, ‘in our business, this is a unique and strong combination.’

The power of two

What Robert is talking about of course is viniculture and viticulture; two different but related disciplines that are equally important in the winemaking process. Viticulture is the science of all grapes, namely the cultivation, growing, and harvesting of them whereas viniculture is more focused on the care of only those grapes used in wine production. And, as the two branches of the same science work well together, so too did the two signatories at Yalumba.

A fourth-generation Barossa grape grower, Robin Nettelbeck is the recently retired viticulturist who had served Yalumba for 45 years, ultimately rising to become the Chief Viticulturist overseeing the Hill -Smith Family Estate vineyards. ‘With the exception of this Signatory accolade, I believe my greatest achievement is the initiation, growth, and success of the Yalumba Nursery,’ he said. ‘Through our clonal research and development, there has been a seismic shift in grape quality reflected in all our wines.’

Meanwhile, viniculturalist Kevin Glastonbury is still with Yalumba, having only been there for a mere 23 years(!), and has been making a strong name for himself – and Yalumba – with his boundary-pushing work on the fine reds including The Caley, The Octavius, The Tri-Centenary and The Signature.

Great teamwork often brings great rewards, but unlike sports like rugby union where the unsung heroes are soon forgotten once the victory parties are over, Yalumba believes in remembering those who helped them succeed for a lot longer. By recognising an employee’s signature work via recording their signatures on the Yalumba The Signature Cabernet Sauvignon & Shiraz, Yalumba is celebrating their unsung heroes for posterity. And that’s definitely something worth raising your glass to!