New chief winemaker appointed at Jacob's Creek

Jacob’s Creek has appointed of Dan Swincer as its chief winemaker, replacing Ben Bryant who resigned several months ago.

Swincer has been with the company since 2006, and has held the position of group red winemaker since 2015.

He now has responsibility for the style and quality of these iconic wines, sold in 77 countries across the world, with global wine drinkers enjoying approximately 1.7 million glasses of Jacob’s Creek wine daily.

Since August 2015, Swincer has also been chief winemaker of St Hugo, where Pernod Ricard Winemakers noted he had "proven himself to maintain the power and elegance of the renowned red wines, and introduce a now highly-awarded riesling and just released chardonnay."

In 2011, The Wine Society voted Swincer Young Winemaker of the Year, and in 2015 he was one of only 12 wine professionals to be selected as a scholar in the highly-acclaimed Len Evans Tutorial.

Pernod Ricard Winemakers global pperations director Brett McKinnon said the appointment is a testament to Dan’s skills and vision.

“Since joining us, Dan has held a series of winemaking roles, Dan has confirmed his place as a leading Australian winemaker, working with his team to create award-winning wines that are the best possible expression of the fruit from each vintage,” McKinnon said. “Dan is a truly progressive and talented winemaker who is very well positioned to take our Australian wines to markets around the globe.”

Swincer added: “Jacob’s Creek is such an influential winery here in Australia and throughout the world, where it plays an important role in showcasing Australian wines to the world. It will be an honour to continue to grow this legacy.

“The role as chief winemaker is a tremendous opportunity and exciting challenge, and I look forward to continuing to work with the incredible team at Jacob’s Creek.”

Swincer will continue in his role as chief winemaker at St Hugo until an announcement is made about his replacement.