Peter Fraser explainer: Why tragic Adelaide figure was an industry giant and what we know about his death
The death of Peter Fraser has shocked the Australian wine industry. Here’s why and what we know about his death.
The award-winning 51-year-old winemaker was tragically found dead inside a burning Clarendon house on Thursday afternoon.
The discovery has devastated the close-knit McLaren Vale wine community as they mourn the Yangarra Estate winemaker.
While investigations into the fire and Mr Fraser’s death are continuing, here’s what we know about the prominent winemaker.
Who was Peter Fraser and why the death has rocked the wine industry?
The son of chicken farmers, Peter Fraser was born in 1974 and raised on a property near McLaren Vale.
He studied winemaking at the University of Adelaide while serving in the Army Reserves and earning cash by selling manure in bulk from his parent’s farm.
Initially pursuing agriculture with dreams of becoming a vet, he switched to oenology after being bitten by the wine bug during Army Reserves training.
After graduating, Mr Fraser started his winemaking career at St Hallet, working with the legendary Stuart Blackwell and Bob McLean, in both 1996 and 1997.
By the age of 23, Mr Fraser was running the vintage at Normans’ Wines in McLaren Vale in 1998.
He joined Yangarra as a contractor in 2000 and spent the next 25 years, carving out a name for himself as a pioneer within South Australia’s wine community, building Yangarra Estate Vineyard into one of Australia’s most renowned wineries.
Recognised as a leader in biodynamic viticulture, he received many accolades, including ‘Winemaker of the Year’ by Halliday Wine Companion (2015) and the Drinks Business Top 100 Global Winemakers 2025.
Under his leadership, Yangarra became the only winery to win Halliday Wine Companion, ‘Wine of the Year’ twice for the same variety – the 2021 Old Vine Grenache and the 2016 High Sands Grenache.
A scholar of the prestigious Len Evans Tutorial, Mr Fraser was involved in the Australian wine show circuit, holding the position of panel chair and judge.
Mr Fraser is survived by his wife and prominent Adelaide barrister, Tessa, their two children, Jack and Poppy, and Tessa’s two children from a previous relationship.
The Clarendon fire: Peter Fraser’s tragic death
Emergency crews were called to Mr Fraser’s Clarendon home on Thursday afternoon to find the picturesque country property alight.
Once the fire was extinguished, crews entered the property and found Mr Fraser’s body inside.
An SA Police spokesperson said two police officers were injured after they arrived at the flaming Chalk Hill Rd home.
“Two police officers in attendance suffered smoke inhalation and were treated at hospital for minor injuries,” the spokesperson said.
“Sadly, the body of a 51-year-old man who was a resident of the address was located inside.”
Fire Cause Investigators attended the scene to assist with the investigation.
“The man’s death is not believed to be suspicious, and police are preparing a report for the coroner.”
The large horse float remained parked in the driveway the following day with the words “violent whore” spray-painted across the trailer in black, with similar graffiti also on a nearby car.
‘One of Australia’s finest winemakers’
Colleagues and close friends have remembered Peter Fraser as one of the country’s finest winemakers.
Yangarra Estate Vineyard honoured their “loved, respected and admired winemaker” in a heartfelt tribute online.
“For more than 25 years, Pete was the driving force behind Yangarra and was an incredible winemaker, thought leader, mentor, and a defining voice in the industry,” the statement read.
“All of us who had the privilege of working with him are devastated by this loss. He was deeply loved, and his legacy is profound.
“Our thoughts are with his family and with the many friends whose lives he touched.”
McLaren Vale winemaker Chester Osborn said the community was hit “very hard” by the loss of Mr Fraser, a close friend of about 30 years.
“He was a delightful person, just a lovely bloke,” the d’Arenberg winemaker said.
“He was a great winemaker. He knew his wine extremely well, he knew what to do. He was perfecting his style all the time and getting better and better.”
Another close friend, Doug Govan, co-owner of Port Willunga’s Star of Greece, was “absolutely heartbroken” by his passing.
“We travelled together interstate and overseas and had the most fantastic times with our families,” Mr Govan, who is also behind Rudderless Wines.
“My heart is broken and I will miss him dearly. Not only a ripper mate, but a trailblazing icon of McLaren Vale.”
Mr Fraser’s longtime friend and former housemate, Timothy Burvill, South Australia Cattle Co managing director, said he was “one of Australia’s finest winemakers.”
“We first met in 1994 at the University of Adelaide while studying winemaking, and clicked immediately,” he wrote in a touching online tribute.
After graduation, they moved in together after landing jobs in the Barossa Valley, celebrating by buying mobile phones.
“He was the first person I ever spoke to on (a mobile phone),” he wrote.
He also remembered Mr Fraser’s love of animals and the outdoors: “He always had dogs and farmed everything from cattle to chickens, and everything in between. His one true love was always horses, and he was an accomplished horseman who loved competing in campdrafting.”
Mr Fraser’s childhood friend, Ashley Ratcliff, owner of Ricca Terra and Wacky Grape Wine company said he was devastated.
“We showed reining horses together in our youth,” he wrote. “He was the greatest guy, a tough competitor and brilliant winemaker. Way too young to be gone.”
Elderton Wines owner Cameron Ashmead described Mr Fraser as “A true wine legend.”
Greenock Creek Wines’ Bertram Stevens said: “He was a giant in the wine industry with forward thinking winemaking. He was the Australian leader in the wonderful improvement of Grenache. He will be greatly missed.”
