Daniel Zolotarev - Winemaker and Owner

Born into a family of immigrant Moldovans, Daniel is the first Australian born. His family was always around wine and telling stories of harvest festivals where people would make their own wines to compete against their neighbors to see whose was best. Daniel still wishes to bring a closer sense of community similar to that which his parents had.

The completion of his bachelor of Viticulture and Oenology from the University of Adelaide, started Daniels winemaking journey. Daniel picked up a vineyard job in the Barossa Valley, working there for 5 years in the period outside of vintage. Here he developed his knowledge of the factors that help with the production of premium fruit, and developed an appreciation for the growers/farmers of Australia.

Meanwhile during the crazy periods known as vintage, Daniel primarily worked in McLaren Vale. Here he would never work at the same place twice, broadening his horizons and expanding his techniques while making lots of friends in the trenches of the cellar.

In 2022 he got an assistant winemaker position at Curator Wine Co., during which the winery earned runner up for the Halliday ‘Dark Horse’ award and Daniel was nominated as a finalist for ‘Young Gun of Wine’.

Daniels approach to wine is to make lighter, fruiter styles of wine that fall into the unorthodox category of ‘smashable’. He believes wine should be enjoyed as a standalone beverage or as a pairing to a meal, and loves converting those around him that typically dislike wines. He has a strong sense of pride in his work and wants to share it with the world in his products.

Outside of winemaking he is a big gamer and rarely turns down a chance to play board, card or video games. He also loves brewing beer in the off season and has hopes to expand the business into beer production. Lastly he loves fixing electronics and making various wooden accessories for his table top gaming.