From family cellar doors in the UK to vintages at Moët & Chandon, Cloudy Bay and Monowai Estate, Sara Macdonald’s path into winemaking has taken her around the world and back again. Now working alongside Kate and Penelope Radburnd at Radburnd Cellars, she’s still driven by the same thing that first drew her in: curiosity. We caught up with Sara to talk wine, Chardonnay, the art of winemaking and, of course, eyewear.
Your journey into winemaking has taken you from the UK to some of New Zealand and the world’s most celebrated wine producers. What first drew you to wine?
I grew up with wine-loving parents and got dragged to many a cellar door on family holidays. At the time, I was too young to appreciate how cool that was, but it obviously planted a seed!
I studied French and Spanish at university but didn’t really know what I wanted to do after graduation, except travel, so off I went on a gap year. I ended up in Margaret River, Western Australia, with my sister and got a job in a cellar door.
I instantly fell in love with learning about wine and talking to customers about it, and the rest, as they say, is history! My wine career was born and 15 years later, I’m still so in love with it and can’t believe it’s my job.
You’ve worked vintages at Moët & Chandon, Cloudy Bay and Monowai Estate. What did those experiences teach you that you still carry into your winemaking today?
Every vintage experience and winery I have worked in has helped shape the winemaker and wine drinker I am today.
I’ve been so lucky to work at some amazing places and have learnt so much each step of the way on how to make wine for varying price points, styles and consumers. The most standout from each experience is, of course, always the people.
The wine industry is made up of so many passionate and inspiring people, who are so generous with their time and experience, and that’s the kind of winemaker I aspire to be. These people have taught me to stay curious, be open to new ways of doing things and ultimately to concentrate on making delicious wines people (and I) want to drink.
What is it about winemaking that continues to keep you curious?
My love of wine mirrors my love of languages. It’s a lifelong pursuit of learning for both, and the best part of learning about wine is the tasting and drinking!
I love exploring new varieties and regions, whether that’s in a glass at home or in person visiting cellar doors on holiday. I love exploring wines that are made in unexpected ways or that are unexpected blends, as they constantly get me to think in different ways.
It’s very similar to learning a funny new idiom in French or a great Spanish slang word! Staying curious is so important in wine as every season is different and resting on our laurels isn’t an option.
You have a particular interest in Chardonnay. What is it about the variety that fascinates you?
I’m not sure there’s a winemaker in the world who doesn’t love Chardonnay! There definitely won’t be one in Hawke’s Bay!
Chardonnay is quite a neutral variety, so it really is one a winemaker can put his or her stamp on. Chardonnay can be made in so many different and delicious ways; from a Blanc de Blanc sparkling or an unoaked mineral Chablis style, all the way through to a huge oaky and buttery beast… and everything in between.
I grew up in an Anything But Chardonnay house, so it’s a wine I’ve discovered since entering the wine industry, much to my Dad’s disgust! I fell in love with Chardonnay in Margaret River and my love affair with it only gets stronger the more and more I grow as a winemaker.
At Radburnd, we were gifted a tonne of Chardonnay grapes by No.287 vineyard in Havelock North for this year’s Wine Auction, alongside Chris Scott of Chris Scott Wines and Tony Pritchard of De la Terre. We all got the exact same grapes and each made a completely different wine.
I guess that’s the crux of why I love Chardonnay (and wine in general). Each tiny decision along the way can make a huge impact and a completely different wine from the same starting ingredients!
If you had to choose a frame to match your favourite Chardonnay, what would it look like?
The Chardonnays I love are elegant, energetic and have a slightly funky edge to them. I seek out subtle, smoky oak, an acid backbone that makes me salivate, a generous spectrum of fruit and a saline finish that makes me crave fish and chips!
This style is timeless and understated but shows a little quirky side and a cheeky personality.
For me, the KRAFTIES by Anne & Valentin feels like the perfect match. I love the warm, burnt-brown colour of the VASSIA frame and the slightly unexpected shape. It has that same understated elegance but with a little bit of personality and quirkiness.
Winemaking is a blend of science, instinct and patience. How do you balance those three?
For me, it’s an equal blend of the three.
The science part is most definitely the easiest bit to learn and act upon, but the instinct and patience parts come with experience and time. I’m definitely still working on those two!
I joined Radburnd Cellars at the start of the year and am working alongside the phenomenal Kate Radburnd in the winery. I have already learned so much from her and am in awe of her wisdom, experience and trust in the process.
Kate definitely blends all three seamlessly, but I’m not afraid to admit I’m still learning and I’ve still got a way to go.
Winemaking is such a sensory craft. How important is observation and really seeing the details in your work?
So important! Winemaking is all about the details and the minutiae.
So many decisions are made, so much love is put in and so much attention is paid at every step of the process, from vineyard to bottle.
The most important deciding factor for the whole process is deliciousness, so we have to taste as much as possible… it’s a really hard job!
What’s something people might be surprised to learn about what goes into making a bottle of wine?
A whole lot of blood, sweat and tears… and not enough sleep, especially over harvest!
Once those grapes start to ripen, everyone who works in a vineyard or winery will know, life goes out the window and it is eat, sleep, harvest, repeat!
It’s such a busy and intense time of the year but it’s also so much fun, despite the long hours, the sore bodies and families and friends we barely see for two months!
Many of the big wineries operate 24 hours a day with teams doing 10 or 12 hour shifts, six days a week. At Cloudy Bay, I always worked night shift and we would pick Sauvignon Blanc continuously for two weeks with trucks constantly arriving all through the night. I would hear the sounds of the presses in my sleep!
At Radburnd, it’s not quite like that but it’s still lots of long days, so many things to do each day and so much buzz and excitement as our next vintage of wines begin their life in the winery.
And finally, if you could sit down with a bottle of wine anywhere in the world right now, where would you be and what would you be drinking?
I would be transported back to our wedding day in Wānaka in 2019.
I’ve made a life a million miles away from where I grew up, so to have all of my favourite people, from England, New Zealand and Australia, all together was incredibly special and oh so much fun.
Everyone would be drinking many glasses of Cloudy Bay Pelorus, as we did on the day, and we would all be laughing, dancing and celebrating.
If time travel isn’t an option (!!), I’ll take a perfectly chilled bottle of 2016 Moët & Chandon, from when I did harvest there, enjoyed in the afternoon sunshine with my husband Lachy in our garden, while our two kids play on their scooters and eat all the snacks!
That’s my happy place.