Steve Webber

Coming Up

Training at Roseworthy College gave Steve Webber a technical base before he entered cellar work at ground level. His start as a cellar hand at Leo Buring in Barossa Valley meant learning the practical side of winemaking first: the routines, the physical work and the discipline required to keep every stage moving cleanly. From there, he moved to winemaker at Leo Buring / Lindemans (1978–1989), a stretch that shows steady progression and a deepening command of the craft. That sequence it shows how Webber’s career was formed: not through abrupt shifts, but through accumulated experience. The early work built the habits; the later years widened the responsibility. Since 1989, Steve has been Chief Winemaker and manager of De Bortoli Family Wines, a long run that reflects continuity as much as authority.

Where They Are Now

At De Bortoli Family Wines in the Yarra Valley, Australia, Steve Webber works in a setting where site and cellar both shape what ends up in bottle. Pinot Noir is a stated specialty, and the variety’s need for restraint and detail fits a winemaker with long practice and a steady hand. The role points to technical oversight, but also to the kind of consistency that comes from staying with a house and refining the work rather than chasing novelty. His view of the company is direct: "I think the De Bortoli family have been so progressive and done amazing things for the Australian wine industry." It reads as a working assessment, not a flourish. The line places Webber in a relationship defined by long association and respect for what the family has contributed to Australian wine.

Signature

Riorret is among Steve's signature wines. It stands as a clear marker of authorship, tied to the accumulated judgment of a maker who has spent decades working through style, structure and expression inside an established winery context.

In Their Words “I think the De Bortoli family have been so progressive and done amazing things for the Australian wine industry.” The quote is straightforward, and that’s where its value sits. It shows an emphasis on progress and a long view of the industry, said by someone whose own career has been built through sustained work rather than quick movement.

Honors

Steve's honors include Gourmet Traveller Winemaker of the Year (2007) and Jimmy Watson Trophy (1997). Those awards sit as markers of peer recognition across different points in a long career, acknowledging work that has held up over time. In a trade where consistency counts, they track the progression from cellar hand to Chief Winemaker and manager without breaking that line of continuity.