Queens Birthday Honour For Member Nathaniel White
Published on 21st June 2017 in Local News, Social News
Congratulations to Nathaniel White who was recently featured in the Mornington Peninsula Leader Newspaper.
Newspaper extract below:
The region’s first qualified winemaker is being toasted for his service to the industry with a Queen’s Birthday honour. Nathaniel White was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for leading the way in winemaking on the peninsula and further afield.
“It came out of the blue,” he said of the honour.
“I really wasn’t expecting it.”
Mr White has been instrumental in building the Mornington Peninsula’s reputation as a wine region, starting the first local licensed winery — Main Ridge Estate — at Red Hill in 1978.
He and wife Rosalie bought the land in 1975 and slowly converted the failed lemon orchard into a successful vineyard.
“We realised the region was very similar in climate to the famous Burgundy region in France so decided to trial similar varieties — pinot and chardonnay — here,” Mr White said.
The couple’s first vintage of 20 litres was pressed through a kitchen moulis at his Mt Eliza home in 1979.
The following year they were granted the first cellar liquor licence on the Mornington Peninsula and never looked back.
“Today there are hundreds of vineyards and 60 wineries in the region,” Mr White said.
“It has changed so much since we started.”
Career highlights for Mr White include the Main Ridge Estate Chardonnay being awarded five gold stars and named among the great wines of the world at the Australia Wine Vintage Awards in 2001 and a Langton Classification of Excellence being awarded to the winery’s Half Acre Pinot.
Mr White was also a foundation member of the Mornington Peninsula Vignerons Association and served on its committee for 36 years.
He helped set up the Friends of the Mornington Peninsula Vignerons and was a winemakers’ representative “for many years”.
He was a founding committee member of the Mornington Peninsula International Pinot Celebration.
The couple sold Main Ridge Estate about 18 months ago and after initially staying on as a consultant have now retired to Flinders.
“I have a lovely garden and play a bit of golf,” Mr White said.
