Sebastian Atkins-Davis, 14, is a rising star of Victoria’s prolific wine scene

Age is no barrier for this 14-year-old wine making prodigy who — despite not being old enough to drink — is turning heads with quality vintages made from Melbourne’s wine heartland.

The Steels Gate Wines crew: Matt Davis, Sebastian Atkins-Davis and Brad Atkins at one of their two Yarra Glen vineyards Picture: Athos Sirianos

He’s not old enough to legally enjoy the drops of his labour, but that is not stopping this rising star from winning the hearts and palates of Victoria’s prolific wine scene.

Rather than running straight for a PlayStation after dumping his schoolbag at the end of the day, Sebastian Atkins-Davis, 14, heads for the vineyards at Steels Gate Wines — owned by his dads Matthew Davis and Brad Atkins in Steels Creek — and gets to work.

From the age of eight, Sebastian has been making wine under his own “Atkins-Davis” brand at the winery — producing a handful of highly rated vintages before he even got to high school.

“I was in the winery (when I was eight in 2019) and were writing on the barrels of what was going to be in the barrel and the date,” Sebastian said.

“I think I originally asked jokingly ‘when I can I write my name on a barrel?’ and dad Matt took it seriously and so I took the opportunity then.”

Sebastian Atkins-Davis, 14, is renowned as Victoria's youngest winemaker, putting together four stunning vintages which have received high praise from the industry. Picture: Athos Sirianos

That year he launched his first merlot (nicknamed “smerlot”), unscrewing a new-found passion which he said would be his “forever job” alongside his fathers.

And his talent has not gone unnoticed.

His debut merlot and his 2021 single barrel home block chardonnay both received ratings of 94 which, as Mr Atkins says, was “really tough” to achieve even for the most experienced winemakers.

“Seb goes out and gets one on his first go, the reviewer even called me to say how incredible it was,” Mr Atkins said.

“His merlot and chardonnay are the standouts. When I look at what we produced that year and Seb’s thought processes and the things he did were really smart choices.”

Now at 14, Sebastian is already a veteran in the industry, quickly developing a “clear” philosophy and vision for his wines which are often “copied” by his fathers.

“He’ll always ask for our advice but he’s very clear that this is his style and his brand,” Mr Atkins said.

“For example we do a 100 per cent chardonnay or 100 per cent pinot and ours is normally steered with a French yeast ... and he’s gone ‘that’s not my brand’. His was so good (with wild yeast) that we have copied him a little bit.”

Sebastian said a staple of his philosophy was “minimal intervention”, getting it right out in the vineyard and not “manipulating” the wine.

“It was kind of unintentional but it hasn’t failed for me yet, but I try and do as little as I can to the wine,” he said.

The Steels Gate Wines crew: Matt Davis, Sebastian Atkins-Davis and Brad Atkins at one of their two Yarra Glen vineyards Picture: Athos Sirianos

Combining his love for science in the classroom, Sebastian said his favourite part of the job is being out on the two family vineyards — exploring chemistry behind making wine with Mr Davis.

“There’s so much science out there,” Mr Davis said.

“A good reviewer will be able to pick out if one wine has natural tannins or if one has tannins added because you can add so many different things to manipulate a wine.

“Ours is representative of the season and not influenced or manipulated by any chemistry per se. We have to get the chemistry right to make sure the wine ends up right but that’s just balancing what’s in the vineyard and making sure we pick the fruit at the right time.”

Sebastian has even produced a “sparkling base” to crack open with his fathers on his 18th birthday.

Steels Gate Wines — which includes a cellar door, restaurant and two vineyards — is run by Messrs Atkins and Davis, both of whom made the switch from the corporate world into Victoria’s rich wine industry and never looked back.