Behind the vine

Pamela Geddes - Lobban Wine - Penedès, Spain

When do you think you fell in love with wine, enough to make a career of it?

I grew up in Scotland, studied microbiology at University, and through a series of sharp turns, ended up working in the whisky industry. I worked for about 8 years in a whisky research lab and learnt sensory skills, the fermentation side of things, yeast, bacteria, materials, etc. At that point, I was just a normal wine drinker and didn’t pay attention to how wine was made. Then, in the mid-80s I went on holiday to Barcelona and I fell in love with the city. I was trying to figure out what I could do to live there and I thought, well, I could easily change from making whisky to making wine. But, it wasn't that easy!

I decided I needed to learn the wine industry in an english speaking country first, so I reached out a few places, and I ended up going to Penfolds in Australia to replace a microbiologist. It was there that I had my pivotal moment which was my first taste of a sparkling Shiraz. I fell in love with the style and that spurred me on to make wine.

What story does your wine tell?

I'm a great believer in drinkability. I want people to enjoy my wine and not have to work too hard to think ‘what is this’. It's good if someone can just open a bottle and smell the primary aromas and freshness. I want you to take that first sip and have something that draws you in with a second, third sip, and second glass.

The way it all started for me was that I loved sparkling Shiraz, and I couldn't believe that in Spain there wasn't any. I was in the heart of Cava, and sparkling red didn't exist! In 1996, I got my first contract wine making job in Spain and when I was pumping over a lovely red Monastrell, the aromas that were coming off reminded me of Sparkling Shiraz. The winery owner wanted to show Monastrell was a user-friendly grape, so he agreed to let me start making Sparkling red. That was when La Pamelita was born. That was Australia going into my Spanish bottle. Then, the sparkling rose came about when working in Calatayud where they have some of the best Garnacha, so I made La Rosita - which I named after my niece who was born around that time. My pink was going to be more commercial. Then I was working with lovely old Garnacha and created El Gordito (my brother is called Gordon) my still red.

What misconceptions about wine do you think people should forget?

There used to be a sense that you had to have white wine with fish, red wine with meat, etc., but it’s really about picking what you want. We need to demystify wine. It’s a fermented beverage just like beer, but wine has this mystique to it. Today, sommeliers are much more approachable, so if you don't know what you want, they'll give you good advice. You don't need to feel so threatened by people in a restaurant!

As long as you go in your price range, even if you only buy a wine because it has a lovely label at first, you'll start to find what you like and then have the confidence to know that and order that. Supermarket availability allows you to pick wines off the shelf and try a lot of different things. Allow yourself a variety of what you want to try and don't take yourself too seriously, it's there to be enjoyed.

What great things about wine do you think people should remember?

I think the lovely thing about wine is having wine in good company with a nice meal. As you're chatting away, you’re enjoying the people's company, the food’s company, and the wine’s company. During the meal the wine is living and breathing, opening up - it’s developing and adds to the pleasure. It can start as such a little wine, but becomes a blockbuster by the last glass in the bottle.

What is a piece of advice you would give to a woman interested in breaking into the wine world?

Just go on and do it. I had come from whisky industry which was quite traditionally male-dominated, and I was one of the few women, but I never let myself be stopped by the fact that I'm a woman. We should go after what we want and we will find what we want on that journey. You can fit into the world of wine and take it from there. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Winemaking is such a social industry that is friendly and open. When I started out, working in the lab, winemakers were coming in and out, and I would ask them all about their jobs, their experience. I remember one time I did say to someone in a Spanish winery, I'd quite like to go to Chile and work harvest. And they said oh I don't think so, they're very chauvinistic there. I worked in Chile for 7 years as contract winemaker and I didn't find any problems at all. I don't think it's as hard as it used to be. The hard thing is that there are a lot less jobs for every job.

Who is a woman in wine you think everyone should know about?

Sue Hodder in Australia. She’s the chief winemaker at Wynns Coonawarra Estate. I met her when I started at Penfolds. She has a great palette, great knowledge, and she’s the perfect people person - always has time for people out in the vineyards, in the winery, and she loves a drink of wine!

Where can women find your wine?

You can look on my site to see my wines and email me directly.

In the UK I’m represented by Indigo Wines, and you can find my wine in Unwined. In Scotland, I’m in a few shops like Aitken Wines in Dundee and Villeneuve in Edinburgh.