 | Wendy Cameron MWWendy has been a committee member of the Australian Society Viticulture and Oenology (ASVO) and was awarded the inaugural ASVO Winemaker of the Year Award in 2012. Wendy has judged at many Australian Wine shows and has recently completed her Master of Wine.
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Although Wendy’s parents were winemakers and she spent her later school years more interested in the winery than her homework, Wendy commenced her career as a biochemist, with a research Masters in Biochemistry from the University of Melbourne. Her early career was an educational role at the Gilbert Chandler Institute of Technology, teaching the microbiological, biochemical and fermentation aspects of dairy technology. However, the lure of winemaking was too strong, and she then went on to complete her Bachelor of Applied Science (Wine Science) by correspondence from 1986 to 1992 (and while having the first two of her three children).
Wendy then joined the small family winery at Glenrowan, which she continued to operate after the early and unexpected death of her father. In 1998, a winemaking position became available at Brown Brothers winery in Milawa. Commencing as red and fortified winemaker, Wendy then spent the next 17 years with the Brown Family Wine Group, ten of which were as their Head of Winemaking, responsible for the winery, vineyards, grape supply and laboratory. During this time, the company acquired vineyards and a winery in Tasmania to add to their extensive Victorian business and vineyard holdings. The Brown Family Wine Group is known for their innovative and diverse range of varietal wines and Wendy was responsible for the development of these.
Wendy joined the ASVO in 1996 and has been involved in many of the Societies activities. Wendy was a committee member from 2005 to 2009, including a term as Vice President. She has helped organise, chaired sessions and also presented at several of their seminars and considers one of the highlights of her career to have been an invited speaker at the Australian Wine Industry Conference in 2010, speaking on “Opportunities in a changing climate”. Her involvement with the ASVO has given her the opportunity to co-edit several ASVO publications such as “Footprints, Food Miles and Furphies: Proceedings of the ASVO Viticulture Seminar 2008. In 2012 Wendy was awarded the inaugural ASVO Winemaker of the Year award.
Wendy’s interest in the education side of the wine industry also saw her in the role as a committee member of the Charles Sturt Course Advisory Committee from 2003 to 2008.
After several years of additional study Wendy was awarded her Master of Wine from the Institute of Masters of Wine in London in 2015. She admits she wasn’t entirely sure what she had taken on when she started, but then was just too stubborn to give up. When her family decided to move their farming enterprise from North East to South West Victoria, Wendy left her position with Brown’s and embarked on a PhD with the University of Melbourne, researching the effect of climate change on grape varieties. Wendy was thrilled to publish her first research paper in the Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research – the “yellow journal” - early this year. She continues to consult to the Brown Family Wine Group and has enjoyed her current role as a Board member of the Australian Wine Research Institute.
