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Gil1
Wine Producers New South Wales
Miramar Vineyards Henry Lawson Drive, Mudgee 2850 Telephone (063) 7338742
Wine Producers
Miramar Vineyards Henry Lawson Drive, Eurunderee 28503
31 July 2014
Miramar Wines' Ian McRae named 2014 wine icon
Miramar Wines' Ian MacRae received one of the Mudgee wine region's highest honours on Saturday after being presented the 2014 Heroes & Icons Award.
Making wine in the Mudgee region for about 40 years, Mr MacRae has built his legacy from the ground up.
He constructed Miramar's winery in the 1970s and visitors to his cellar door will know the winemaker continues to enjoy 'building things'.
If I was better at maths I would probably have been an engineer,' Mr MacRae said.
Yet a passion for building and creating quality products has led to Ian attracting critical acclaim for his wine since the first vintage at Miramar in 1977.
After 'doing his apprenticeship' with some of Australia's leading winemakers Ian was then employed as a wine consultant and moved on to working a couple of vintages at Montrose. Mudgee became 'not a bad place to stay'.
Receiving the 2014 Heroes and Icons Award was a surprise to Mr MacRae and he said it was nice to be recognised by his colleagues and peers.
I've been involved in many of the region's committees and projects,' he said.
One of the things I'm most proud of was being a champion for screwcap bottles in the region.
Winemakers knew about them for some time but they started really taking off here in about 2000. They screwcaps don't come with all the influences that can come from a cork and potentially ruin the wine.
On Saturday night the annual Heroes & Icons dinner was held at Lowe Wines and a 1992 Miramar Semillon was matched to the second course of Winter Greens Soup with Potato and Rosemary.
Mr MacRae has been known to produce quality white and red wines that can age for more than 20 years.
Not all whites age well but there is a misconception out there that only reds age,' he said.
I have it in mind when making the wine that it could be stored and consumed well into the future.
He said it was most satisfying hearing stories about Miramar wines being opened years later and for people to make a new connection.
I have customers and other visitors to the cellar door that stretch generations. I've had sons and grandsons of people return to buy wine,' he said.
Mr MacRae has been around to have seen the highs and lows of the industry and said a lot came down to education, knowledge and understanding what is going on in the winemaking process.
In its second year the Heroes and Icons Award bestows an honour to a Mudgee wine industry representative who continually promotes the region as premium wine country ' whether it be through grape growing, wine making, cellar door service or marketing the region.
Credit: DARREN SNYDER4