i. Biography
Andre Bondar is the winemaker of Bondar Wines in McLaren Vale, Australia, where his style is shaped by a clear instinct for wines that feel alive in the glass: fragrant and bright, with complex structure and a mid-weight frame that lets perfume and texture speak as one. His taste for making wine began in 2001 after a vintage gig in Oregon, a formative experience that set him on a path toward a career defined by precision, freshness, and an abiding sense of place.
The Path
Andre Bondar trained at Adelaide University before beginning his career as cellar hand at Nepenthe in Adelaide Hills from 2006, an early role that grounded his craft in the region’s rhythms and discipline. In the cellar, the work would have demanded attention to detail and a steady hand, the kind of apprenticeship that teaches not only technique but patience. He later rose to senior winemaker at Nepenthe in Adelaide Hills until 2012, building on those foundations before stepping into his next chapter. Since 2013, he has been winemaker of Bondar Wines, bringing that accumulated experience to a label that reflects both his technical assurance and his preference for wines with clarity and lift.
The Work Today
Bondar is the winemaker at Bondar Wines, and his stated preference is direct: "I like purity and I like wines to be fresh and bright and well made." That preference is not just a style note; it is the lens through which the wines appear to be shaped, with an emphasis on clean lines, luminous fruit, and a sense of restraint that allows nuance to emerge. The same clarity shapes how he connects wine to origin and authorship: "The quality of the wine is, of course, really important, but it always comes back to the people who made it and the place where it was made." In that view, wine is never merely a product of fruit and ferments, but of human hands and the character of the vineyard itself. On vineyard direction, he has said, "I am in the process of converting our vineyard to organic management and lots of new plantings of varieties that are late ripening and ideal for a warming region – cinsault, counoise, mataro, carignan, touriga and sagratino." The statement points to a forward-looking, practical response to changing conditions, with variety choice and farming approach working in tandem. It is a philosophy that seems to favor resilience without sacrificing poise, and one that keeps the conversation between land and wine at the center of the work.
Signature
Andre's signature wines include Violet Hour, Rayner Grenache, Hope Springs Eternal, JUNTO GSM 2019, and Bondar Rosé. Together, they sketch the breadth of his cellar: from the lifted and expressive to the composed and textural, each wine carrying the imprint of his preference for freshness, balance, and a clean sense of definition.
In Their Words “I am in the process of converting our vineyard to organic management and lots of new plantings of varieties that are late ripening and ideal for a warming region – cinsault, counoise, mataro, carignan, touriga and sagratino.” “The quality of the wine is, of course, really important, but it always comes back to the people who made it and the place where it was made.”
Acclaim
Andre's honors include Basil Sellers Prize for Dux of the Len Evans Tutorial (2023), Top 50 Young Guns of Wine, and James Halliday’s Best New Winery.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Andre
Where did Andre Bondar train or study?
Andre Bondar trained at Adelaide University.
What recognition has Andre Bondar received?
Basil Sellers Prize for Dux of the Len Evans Tutorial (2023).
