The symbiotic relationship between food and wine is one that has been studied since the first grapes were fermented. Often in the modern era the onus lies on the sommelier to explore this but every now and again a gifted chef begins down the path of vinous exploration taking with them a palate full of complex flavour combinations and a thorough understanding of natural balance.

 

The newest addition to this new subset of the wine industry is Bec Stubbs with Charlish & Co. After decades co managing some of the finest restaurants in Australia, catering as well as working with Luke Mangan in Japan and running kitchens in fine dining operations in Singapore Bec found her passion for wine after meeting her partner Duane Coates MW from the infamous Coates Wines. Bec began working with Duane in the winery and the cellar door and after years at Duane’s side learning how to craft balanced reflective wines with minimal intervention as well as tasting every wine with him as he studied for his Master of Wine degree Bec decided it was time to pursue her own venture and thus Charlish & Co was born.

 

Charlish being her mother’s maiden name, Bec wanted to honour the woman who first introduced her to the art of cooking.  With Duane keeping a close eye on Bec’s work the wines made under the Charlish & Co label are modern with a focus on fruit purity and precision. Minimal winemaking influence is seen in the finished wines as the emphasis is always on reflecting the exceptional vineyards from which the fruit is sourced.

SUSTAINABILITY.

 

The minimal intervention approach in the winery is mirrored in the vineyard with standards around environmental impact closely monitored by Bec & Duane. If you ask Bec what the ‘Co’ in Charlish & Co stands for she will tell you its Community, having spent many years working as a culinary educator this approach is one close to her heart. The sustainability practices stretch beyond simply the work done in the vineyard but can also be seen in the finest of details such as packaging and individual winemaking decisions to the large scale approach of the winery being one of the few in South Australia where end to end winemaking is possible thus minimising transport of materials and overall carbon footprint.