Bidgeebong’s Director of Wine Making, Andrew Birks B.Agric.Sci. (Melbourne), Dip.Oen (Roseworthy), is one of Australia’s most experienced and best qualified wine makers. He has formal qualifications in wine making and agricultural science. He is one of Australia’s leading teachers of wine making and was responsible for the early establishment of the Wine Science Degree at the Charles Sturt University. Andrew has taught about one in three Australian wine makers. He has worked extensively in the private sector with one of Australia’s largest wine business and has taught wine science in France, Portugal and New Zealand. He has also worked vintages for some of the major wine houses in Portugal and Spain.

Throughout his 20 years at the university and his extensive travel throughout the famous wine regions of the world, Andrew always returned to Wagga convinced of its untapped possibilities of the local area as a winemaking region. “I realised the potential of the region to produce high quality table wine and I know the best techniques for handling fruit from this region, to make that quality wine” he said.

Andrew’s knowledge and experience in processing the fruit using different methods with crushing, fermenting, temperature control and containers is utilized to make quality regional wines with new and traditional grape varieties.

After having such a mentoring role in launching the careers of other winemakers and helping them to put their wine regions on the map, Andrew turned to his own area around Wagga Wagga and the emerging regions of the south west slopes of southern New South Wales: Tumbarumba, Gundagai, Hilltops and Canberra. His international experience and extensive knowledge of the national wine industry only add to his confidence in the uniqueness of these regions and their promise to become a destination for wine lovers. made both table wines and fortifieds in Portugal. Fortified wines, including classical style Port and Fino Sherry, remain one of his not-so-secret passions.