TWO MINUTES WITH | Vanya Cullen
Vanya Cullen started making wine at Cullen Wines with her mother in 1983, taking the reins on her passing in 2003. Under her leadership, the winery has become arguably Australia’s leading environmentally sustainable estate. She was awarded the Order of Australia (OAM) in King Charles III’s first birthday honours' list in 2023, after her parents Diana Madeline and Kevin John Cullen both also received the honour
What is your ‘last supper’ wine?
You’ll have to indulge me a little here – I would have to choose Cullen’s 2001 Diana Madeline. The wine was released in 2003, and was the first vintage of our Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot to be renamed after the passing of my mother the same year. Made from 30-year-old vines planted in 1971 and organically farmed, it’s still a baby today. My mother knew it was a good one – I remember her saying she wanted to live longer to be able to drink it. It represents her life’s work – purpose in a glass, made with a love of great wine and all that means and brings.
My mother was so brave, so generous and a real humanitarian. The world needs more people who care about quality and sustainability, and she never gave up on these two watchwords, which together ensure that a wine is more than the sum of its parts. Mum’s saying was always ‘quality not quantity’ and it’s a mantra that still drives me today.
Where is your dream vineyard?
Coal River Valley in Tasmania. I love the aromatics and acidity of Tasmanian grapes, particularly the Pinot Noir from Coal River Valley. The beauty and potential of this tiny, beautiful island is wonderful.
Who is your wine hero?
Anne Claude Leflaive, a true inspiration for her championing of biodynamics. She started a biodynamic wine school and spread the word in Burgundy about how to make better quality wine from biodynamics, all the while making brilliant wines herself, and managing a large family business. Plus she was a great singer – she loved music.
What’s the next big thing in wine?
Carbon-neutral vineyards. Climate change is an existential crisis for all of us, and being in agriculture, we have a role to play to mitigate its impact: firstly, by proper land-care to sequester carbon; and secondly, by lowering our carbon emissions to zero. The two go together – the healthier the land, the better the quality of the grapes – and the wine.
What's your favourite wine memory?
An 1865 double magnum of Château Lafite, drunk with James Halliday AM and Len Evans AO OBE at the annual dinner Len held at Loggerheads, his home in the Hunter Valley, in 2001. A wonderful memory with two great Australian wine mentors – Len had such a profound effect in educating the Australian wine trade on what made a great wine.
For me, great wine is about transporting you to another time and place – in this case before phylloxera, when Malbec was still playing a part in Bordeaux. This showed the beauty, longevity and grace of a great Bordeaux blend – the wine had it all. Having a love of great Cabernet and family wineries, it was and still is the most memorable wine I’ve ever tasted.
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