Right now, everyone seems to be asking me, ‘What are you doing?’ What naturally follows on from that are questions over why I am doing it and how I am approaching it. There are always new wine offerings in the world, so what am I bringing to the table?

In starting Thorne and Daughters I had a vision in my mind and simply set out in that direction, not really considering at the time how it would need to be explained. I am extremely fortunate in my day-to-day work in being able to respond very naturally to my creative drive, without the burden of needing to explain and justify my choices all of the time.

I guess now that these questions have been asked, I have had to do some thinking about what it is that drives me.

One article that I keep coming back to in World of Fine Wine  is this one by Francis Percival (Issue 34, 2011). It is one of the things that I have read lately that really struck a chord with me.

Percival’s description of the cheesemaking Peltiers as a technical marvel with their  “breathtakingly long lactic coagulation”, really gets me going. He describes their level of expertise as one where cheesemaking can be performed with nonchalance. This is the level of knowledge that I aspire to – what it comes down to is simplicity and rigour.

These two words sum up how I want to be able to make wine. Knowing exactly what is needed and applying this precisely and consistently. What I love about the simplicity of this explanation is that it covers both the mastery of process required for great winemaking as well as the mastery of self that is neeeded. I have no pretensions about having achieved anything at this stage of my life, but I know where I want to be.

I’m really thrilled about what I have in the cellar now and can’t wait to start showing my finished wines. Right now we’re completing our branding and getting ready for bottling, so it won’t be long.