Deep in the heart of the old Yalumba winery in the Barossa is a cellar stuffed with vinous treasures. Not just Yalumba wines, but also bottles from around Australia and the world.
So, in 2019, Yalumba started putting aside more substantial volumes of its fine and rare wines for bottle-ageing, with a view to launching the first proper museum collection in this, its 175th year. After completing her commerce degree, Hill-Smith worked in various aspects of the wine industry around the world, including a few years for LVMH, and then Bollinger champagne in the UK. This taught her how to manage fine-wine brands and made her realise what her own family’s company meant to others.
“Historically, it’s just been Dad making the decisions ,” she says. “I think about a business with my sisters involved. I’ve been in it for five years; Lucy has just become a brand ambassador in London; Georgia is interested, too, but is still building her own path for now. I think that will be a real turning point: to have the next generation working in the business together and making decisions together.