Shine Awards: Yarra Yering winemaker Sarah Crowe nominated

From pruning vines to making wines, Sarah Crowe has given her all to the viticulture industry. Now the world is taking notice.

Sarah Crowe is an award-winning winemaker and general manager at Yarra Yering vineyard. Picture: Zoe Phillips

Sarah Crowe is a nominee in The Weekly Times Shine Awards, supported by Harvey Norman. To nominate a rural woman, fill out the form at the end of this story, or email [e-mail].

Every Friday, Yarra Yering winemaker Sarah Crowe gathers her team around, cracks open a bottle of wine, and treats her staff to lunch.

It’s a tradition that emerged during one of Victoria’s lockdowns, and one that reflects Sarah’s nature as a considerate and thoughtful winemaker.

“It’s as social as we can be, but it’s made for keeping everyone sane, and it feels like you’ve got something to look forward to,” she said.

“I’ve been doing a lot of baking for them … one of the boys brought rhubarb in and I took it home and baked a cake.”

Sarah’s attention to detail, coupled with her tenderness for her staff and vines alike, has been rewarded with accolades including the James Halliday 2022 winery of the year award, and the winemaker of the year title in 2017.

Sarah’s journey to winemaking began almost by accident.

A trained horticulturist, it wasn’t until she travelled to France and visited a vineyard for the first time that she decided a career change was in order.

What followed was time spent working in vineyards, out in the elements during pruning season, before securing a winemaking job in the Hunter Valley in 2001.

“I fell in love with that side of it,” she said.

When she moved to the Yarra Valley in 2013 she secured a position as winemaker and general manager at Yarra Yering.

“When I came here people told me I had big shoes to fill, and asked if I was nervous. I wasn’t at first, I was really excited about the vineyard, and its reputation,” she said.

“Slowly as I spent time here, I did start to get a feeling of nerves. Because I wanted people to recognise the wines. It was about how do we continue that hard work, and dare to do better?”

For Sarah, the greatest reward of all is being able to foster a tight team of people.

“It’s important those awards really do reflect the whole team’s attitude to what we do,” she said. “For me, that represents quality and consistency across all our wines. It’s not just about me as a winemaker. It’s about being caring, being committed, talented and coming along for the ride.”