Luke Whittle

The Climb

In 2007, the cellar floor was the starting point: Luke Whittle began as a part-time winery worker at West Auckland winery in West Auckland, New Zealand. By 2011, the work had progressed to winemaker at Balgownie Estate in Central Victoria, Australia, a move that placed him in a role requiring both technical control and attention to site. In 2016, he shifted to Tasmania, Australia, becoming Senior Winemaker at Pipers Brook Vineyard, where he stayed until 2019 and expanded his understanding of the estate. Since 2019, Luke has been Chief Winemaker of Kreglinger Wine Estates / Pipers Brook Vineyard, continuing to shape the house style from a position informed by more than a decade across three distinct regions. The sequence is straightforward: entry-level winery work, then winemaking responsibility, then senior oversight, then the top role.

Today

Since 2019, the role has been Chief Winemaker at Pipers Brook Vineyard in Tasmania, Australia. Luke’s own description of the work is direct and specific: “I started working as a winemaker at Pipers Brook Vineyard, which has empowered me to explore cool climate and sparkling winemaking. I have gained immense knowledge in making pinot noirs and sparkling wines.” Those words place the emphasis where it belongs: on the method, the styles, and the material. At Pipers Brook Vineyard, that experience sits inside a Tasmanian framework that supports both restraint and expression.

Signature

Luke's signature wines include Kreglinger Vintage Brut, Kreglinger Vintage Rosé, Kreglinger Brut Rosé, Kreglinger Brut, and 2017 Pipers Brook Late Disgorged. Read together, they show a cellar emphasis on sparkling wines with structure and clarity, alongside a release like 2017 Pipers Brook Late Disgorged that points to patience in timing.

In Their Words “I started working as a winemaker at Pipers Brook Vineyard, which has empowered me to explore cool climate and sparkling winemaking. I have gained immense knowledge in making pinot noirs and sparkling wines.” “There is just so much potential and so many great wines coming out of the State that it is great to be involved in what is happening in Tasmania. It is an awesome opportunity.”

Recognition

The key recognition in this profile is the 2019 appointment to Chief Winemaker. It followed four years as Senior Winemaker at the same Tasmanian estate and marked formal recognition of a career that had already been built steadily through the cellars and vineyard regions listed above.