Industry action follows café tragedy

The wine world may be a curious mix of noble ideals and competing egos but it's a remarkable fraternity nonetheless. The loss of talented Moorilla Estate winemaker Jason Winter during the recent Port Arthur tragedy has provided plenty of hope to believe that we are indeed all brothers in wine, as the saying goes. 

Among the first victims to be gunned down in the Broad Arrow Café, the Auckland-born 29-year-old (pictured on the left) had not long been appointed to the position at the Hobart winery, following periods of employment in New Zealand, South Australia and France.

A massive personal blow to his wife Jo and his young son Mitchell, Winter's death traumatised the wine community here and overseas.

According to the general manager of Moorilla Estate, Tim Goddard (pictured right), the response his company received following Jason Winter's death was overwhelming and helped underscore the esteem held for his professionalism and for his individual warmth and personality.

"It was just unbelievable," he said.

"We've had people from all over Australia ringing us and we've had faxes sent from France. We've had people from New Zealand ring in, all to say how sad and how shocked they were, and asking if they could support us in any particular way."

Left without a winemaker at a critical time of the year – some 1996 wines were already undergoing fermentation at the time of Winter's death – Moorilla Estate was especially heartened by the level of support shown by fellow local producers.

Six offered their services to assist in the completion of vintage and subsequent winemaking.

"It was a wonderful show of support. Jason wasn't with us for long, but I guess it shows the kind of esteem in which he was held."

In a show of remarkable solidarity, local producers have also joined forces with Moorilla Estate to initiate the Jason Winter Memorial Appeal, a trust fund set up to provide financial help to Jo and Mitchell Winter.

Already, the appeal has achieved its first goal, that of preparing for sale special Jason Winter Mixed Dozens of wine, made up of six Moorilla Estate wines, and six wines donated by other Tasmanian companies.

"We set a target of 100 dozen, and already we've exceeded the 50 dozen we were looking for from other producers. There hasn't been one producer who hasn't rung us and promised to donate something.

"Having got this far, then, we'd like to continue the appeal, so that if there's people out there who'd like to spend $100 and buy a case of Tasmanian wine that'll benefit Jason's family, we'll certainly come up with ways of doing that."

Trustees Monica Goddard, Colin Corney and Freycinet Vineyard winemaker Lindy Bull also have other ideas in the pipeline. Mid-year, the appeal will combine with Master of Wine Andrew Caillard and the highly-regarded firm of Langton's to hold its first-ever wine auction in Tasmania, hoping to raise additional funds through the sale of donated wines and wine paraphernalia.

The level of support given to the appeal from across the country has been especially gratifying to Winter's parents, Goddard added.

"They were very sad that it took this tragic event for them to come to Tasmania and find out in what high regard he was held professionally. They didn't really know how important to us he was in a professional sense. It was with a great deal of sadness they told us that, but they were very happy to find out all the same."

First published 30 May 1996: The Advocate