Changing of the guard at icon Australian wine labels

Adam Wadewitz and David LeMire

Back in 1990, I met up with Master of Wine Michael Hill Smith to take a look at a new wine he was releasing with his cousin, Martin Shaw.

It was a very impressive Adelaide Hills sauvignon blanc; back in the days when that grape variety was not at all fashionable in Australia.

Thirty years on, Shaw + Smith is one of the country's most recognisable wine brands. The cousins make wines exclusively from the Adelaide Hills, from varieties that suit the cooler climate: sauvignon blanc (now a benchmark), riesling, chardonnay, pinot noir and shiraz.

Shaw + Smith own two vineyards, in Lenswood and Balhannah, which is also home to the winery where the tasting room is open daily.

Shaw + Smith this week announced a changing of the guard, appointing winemaker Adam Wadewitz and sales and marketing specialist David LeMire MW as joint CEOs.

LeMire joined Shaw + Smith in late 2010 while Wadewitz came on board in early 2013. Both have been involved in the management of Shaw + Smith over recent years and both are highly respected wine professionals.

Founders Martin Shaw and Michael Hill Smith MW will remain actively involved in the business. In addition, Shaw will become executive chair of Shaw + Smith and Hill Smith executive chair of sister company Tolpuddle Vineyard.

Martin Shaw said: “Not only have David and Adam excelled in their specific areas of sales and marketing and winemaking, they are natural leaders with an excellent feel for business."

Michael Hill Smith MW added: “Most importantly both Adam and David are fully committed to the growing, making and selling of fine wine.”

The appointments are effective from July 1, 2020, and include overseeing the Tolpuddle Vineyard in Tasmania.