THE PEOPLE OF IPOS
Brett Trewartha
Owner, Cellarhand & Storyteller
Born into a farming family on the far west coast of South Australia, the land is in my blood. My first vehicle was a bald tyre tractor at the age of 8, loved shearing time when I could earn $5 per day working 10 hours and listening to the shearers stories as they drank long necks of Southwark Bitter at night.
I became a city boy at 11 and my family purchased their first hotel when I was 15, where I started scrubbing dishes and unloading pallets of beer in the drive thru. Hotel Duty Manager at 19 and by the age of 23 group General Manager across 4 venues. Hospitality and people came naturally, work bloody hard, be authentic and always have a joke or a story to share.
Somehow many unanswered questions and an itch to learn more, led to completing an MBA at Adelaide University. A bag full of distinctions led to being approached by Southern Cross University and Edith Cowan University to lecture and write courses in Strategic Management, Entrepreneurship & Managerial Finance… essentially subjects where real life experience, storytelling and creativity were of equal importance to actual intelligence or academic ability (in my opinion not my strong suit), because I am not an academic and for that reason never finished my Doctorate in Philosophy as the piece of paper doesn’t interest me.
In 2006 I moved to Perth and by chance ended up starting a wine distribution company. I don’t want to know how many thousands of hours I spent doing retail tastings, events, dinners & staff training, but it was how we transferred the story and created brand ambassadors. We sold a lot of wine and played a part in launching some brands that are well established today. I’m not a salesperson, for me it’s always been about being information rich and passionate about what I do, connecting the consumer to the brand and people behind the brand!
Prior to moving back to SA in 2013, I spent 3 years as a director of a Margaret River winery, including one week each month onsite supporting the team. It was during these years that my interest in diversifying from sales & marketing and into winemaking really grew, taking every opportunity to be hands on in the vineyards or winery, A reconnection to my childhood on the land felt very balanced.
I am blessed to have two beautiful boy’s Charlie & Jake who are a big part of the reason ‘why’ in I.P.O.S as they both have ASD, ADHD & ODD which has played a role in making our life a little less than vanilla. No two days are the same, it’s a dynamic family life that has undoubtedly made me a better person in the community. The boys are my inspiration to make a positive impact upon this earth and do as much as I can to support others in my community and further afield. My years in therapy rooms, schools, etc has given me the opportunity to meet so many incredible people and I have been amazed countless times as to the kindness and generosity of people.
Life has come a full circle as again I connected to the land, working with wonderful growers and people across the wine industry, seeking to make delicious wines that speak of a time and a place and perhaps make great company for a story among friends and family..
Rob Mack
Winemaker
In February 2019 Rob Mack joined In Praise of Shadows as our winemaker. Rob ia a rising star of Australian Winemaking, being articulate, creative and thoughtful both professionally & personally. Rob is a highly intelligent individual with a background in Commerce which had led him into the corporate world until he fell in love with wine over a bottle of Barolo.
Rob completed his Wine Science Degree at Charles Sturt University, receiving the Chandon Trophy for sparkling wine production. At the same time Rob began working vintages both here in Mclaren Vale and also overseas, including a vintage in the heart of Barolo at G.D Vajra. In 2014 Rob and wife Louise launched Aphelion Wine Co which is already regarded among the finest boutique producers in Australia.
Rob was the 2017 Young Gun of Wine ‘Best New Act’ and 2018 Young Gun of Wine ‘Overall Winner’ leading to an invitation to participate in the highly sought after 2019 Len Evans tutorial. Rob and the Aphelion brand have won numerous show trophies, including the ‘Best Small Producer’ at the 2019 Mclaren Vale Wine Show.
Each year Rob judges at a number of wine shows including Royal Sydney, Royal Adelaide, Royal Perth, McLaren Vale, Young Guns & Aust Boutique Wine Show in recent years.
Rob Mack is the glue that pulls the ideology together at I.P.O.S, understanding the vision and style of wines we want to produce and playing an important role working alongside Brett in bringing it all together with his exceptional palate and winemaking knowledge.
In 2022, Rob is a finalist for the Halliday Australian Wine Companion, ‘Australian Winemaker of the Year’ and also begun his journey toward becoming a Master of Wine (MW)
Rob has been part of the I.P.O.S team since vintage 2019.
https://www.inpraiseofshadows.com.au/
