Mark O’Callaghan Appointed Director of Winemaking at Ferngrove

Ferngrove Wine Group’s winemaking team grew this week with the appointment of Mark O’Callaghan to Director of Winemaking.

O’Callaghan joins Senior Winemakers Marco Pinares and Marelize Russouw and will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of the group’s wine production.

The winery, located in Frankland River, Western Australia is well-known for the Ferngrove, Killerby and Leaping Lizard brands.

O’Callaghan brings fourteen years of experience from Accolade Wines to the team, including eight years managing one of Australia’s best sparkling wines, Yarra Burn. He has also worked on projects in England, India and the Himalayas in Southern China.

He was also a scholar of the 2007 Len Evans Tutorial and is a regular wine show judge, committee member of the Victorian Pinot Noir Workshop and President of the Yarra Valley Wine Growers Association.

As Director of Winemaking for Ferngrove, O’Callaghan will bring a fresh set of eyes to the business and lead the Ferngrove winemaking team in the region on a new winemaking course.

He has already started with the team and so far has been giving a renewed focus to the group’s best wines across the entire price range, from the premium Orchid Range to the highly competitive value driven wines.

O’Callaghan commented, “The growth and quality coming out of Great Southern drew me to this project, I’m really excited to be working with some fantastic vineyards in true cool climate WA.”

“The vine age, experienced team and dependable nature of Frankland River were all factors that helped in the decision.”