HEMERA ESTATE - Key Persons
Heath completed an Honours degree in Mathematical and Computer Sciences at the University of Adelaide in 1995, majoring in Pure and Applied Mathematics and Computational Physics before going on to postgraduate studies in Mathematical Physics and teaching as part of the Physics Department. He was an inaugural Graduate Member of the Australasian Society for General Relativity and Gravitation. He later came to his senses and left his PhD studies to do his first vintage as a wine chemist under Nick Walker at Krondorf Wines in 1997, reasoning that whether or not black hole thermodynamics was worth the time and effort, red wine definitely was.
He subsequently went back into teaching at Trinity College, first on the South School and then as a Head of House and Mathematics and Physics specialist at the Senior School. In 17 years as a full-time teacher and three years as a relief teacher he primarily taught Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Research Project, but also managed to cross disciplines into every other subject at the College at some point during his relief teaching.
He has also worked at Langmeil Winery under Paul Lindner as a wine chemist and cellar hand and now manages the cellar at Hemera Estate, takes care of all the ferment, barrel, finished wine and chemical operations, repair and maintenance (and the odd painting, plastering or building project), occasionally gets to drive a tractor and has prolonged arguments with the computer network and database system. When he isn't busy doing that, he can usually be found restacking pallets of wine cartons or pouring tasting samples in the cellar door.
In his spare time, he plays in the B Men's Barossa Hockey League (badly), plays in his shed practising his blacksmithing (reasonably well), and turns out to responses for the One Tree Hill CFS Brigade.
Job Titles:
- Director of Winemaking General Manager
Jason Barrette has a long-held and palpable passion for wine. Whilst his career began with 13 years in the Australian Army, it was a tour visiting the famous battlefields of Europe that propelled Jason's foray into wine.
Visiting the wine regions of France and Italy, Jason was enamoured, immersing himself in the European wine culture. This was all he needed to make the decision to retire from the military and pursue his dream to become a winemaker. Jason returned to Australia to study winemaking at Adelaide University and completed a Bachelor of Agriculture (Oenology) degree in 2005.
Upon completing his studies Jason joined the Penfolds winemaking team at Magill Estate, working closely with Chief Winemaker Peter Gago to craft many of Penfolds premium wines including Bin707 and Grange over the last twelve years as Penfolds Magill Estate Winemaker.
Outside of the Australian vintage, Jason increased his winemaking knowledge by travelling to the Northern Hemisphere, completing dual harvests as a "Flying Winemaker" for over a decade, consulting in Portugal, France, USA and Canada, Jason has made all forms of wine style, from, Red, White, Sparkling and Rosé through to Fortifieds and Ice-wine.
Over the years, Jason has been able to bring back to Australia many different skills and winemaking techniques and knowledge of grape varieties and wine styles from some of the best winemaking regions and wine houses in the world.
Having worked with premium Barossa fruit for over a decade, it was hardly surprising that his wine voyage has ended being based in the Barossa Valley at Hemera Estate. Jason is excited to work closely with the Hemera viticultural team, learning the idiosyncrasies and intricacies of the vines and their microclimate to unlock the real potential of the estate vineyard. To be able to maximize expression of a grape variety and the terrior form the framework for the oenological decisions that Jason makes. Jason has found out first hand in the first weeks of the 2017 harvest how unique the Southern Barossa is in regards to climate. A very rare climatic phenomenon "anvil cloud" formed literally over the top of the vineyard and winery dumping 20mm of rain in 10 minutes. Other where in the region it remained dry.
Jason's hands-on approach is a testament to the wines that he creates. He is more at home at the bottom of a fermenter (bogging out), than behind a desk. His attention to detail is reflected in the quality of the wines that he produces.
For Jason, winemaking doesn't simply finish when the wine is tucked away in barrel for maturation. He believes, and has seen "many a wine where immense time and effort in the vineyard and during vintage come to a disappointing conclusion when it comes time to blend and bottle though oxidation, bacterial spoilage". Jason believes that barrel maturation times should not be set in stone for particular wines. "Each vintage is different and capturing fruit intensity, varietal expression and finesse in wines is critical".