Peter Gago recognised in Queen's birthday honours

For his service to the Australian wine industry...

Peter Gago recognised in Queen’s Birthday Honours

Penfolds’ chief winemaker Peter Gago has been recognised for his service to the Australian wine industry with his appointment as a Companion of The Order of Australia (AC) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

Gago, who has been chief winemaker at Penfolds since 2002, was given the honour ‘for eminent service to the Australian wine industry as an internationally acclaimed winemaker, to the global promotion of excellence in winemaking, viticulture, marketing and research, as a mentor to young oenologists, and to the community of South Australia’.

He told The Australian that the award was a reflection of wine’s status in the world: ‘It’s saying from a wine perspective this is up there with sport, with theatre, with industry and with politics,’ Gago said.

‘The world of wine is up there, it’s acknowledging our culture of wine, it’s more about what I’ve done outside the country than what I’ve done here.’

A former teacher who emigrated from the UK to Australia at the age of six, Gago joined Penfolds in 1989 as sparkling winemaker, moving on to the role of red wine oenologist four years later, before being appointed chief winemaker in 2002.

Responsible for making famed Penfolds wines including Grange and St Henri, he has won numerous international awards and has co-authored five wine books – four of them on Australian wine – with Dr Patrick Iland OAM.