I was taking down ‘Grape Cellebrations’ my SALA Exhibtion in 2011 and thinking of another exhibtion.
After over 40 years working professionally I’m thinking, I’d really like to indulge myself and concentrate on a single project.
In 1983 I was involved in the Internationally acclaimed book ‘A day in the life of Australia’, I thought why not a year in the life of a wine.
One of the photographs in ‘Grape Cellebrations’ was of the Grange creator Max Schubert.
I thought I was born in 1951 the same year Max Schubert created Australia’s most famous wine Penfolds Grange. Why not ‘A Year in the Life of Grange’ ?
With help from everyone at Penfolds, especially chief winemaker Peter Gago I spent 2012 documenting the story of Grange.
Along the way I thought if people spend over $800 on a bottle of wine they may buy an expensive book ? The exhibtion became a book.
I decided to self publish an expensive limited edition book, that way I didn’t have to ask permission from a publisher to fly to America, I just bought a ticket and went. In fact did two trips to the US. The book like Grange is 100% produced in Adelaide.
The book ‘A year in the life of Grange’ went on to win a number of International awards.
James Halliday in his review said,
” I’ve got well over a thousand wine books in my library, and only one comes close to this “
