Mick Schroeter

Winemaker, Geyser Peak Winery

It must have been Fate. Despite a family legacy, it was not in Mick Schroeter's plans to pursue employment at Penfolds, where both his father and uncle had worked as winemakers. But in 1982, when the preeminent Australian winery bought Kaiser Stuhl, at which Mick was an enologist, he was powerless to resist the machinations of destiny. Things, however, turned out well.

Penfolds sponsored Mick's winemaking education at the famed Roseworthy College. He was quickly promoted to the exclusive, and important, red winemaking team where he worked with Daryl Groom on the entire Penfolds red wine range, including the legendary Grange.

In 1992, Mick's adventurous spirit led him to compete for, and win, a Penfolds scholarship to visit the Chilean wine country, which he parlayed into a six-month sabbatical and an around-the-world ticket for himself and his wife, Linda. A stop to work harvest in California with Daryl Groom led to an invitation to join Geyser Peak as winemaker, which Mick did the following year.

Included in Mick's many achievements at Geyser Peak Winery since that fateful trip are the back-to-back trophies in 1998 and 1999 Winemaker of the Year, as well as Geyser Peak Winery winning Winery of the Year (1998) and Best U.S. Wine Producer (2003) at the prestigious London International Wine & Spirit Competition.

Fifteen years later, Mick's infectious enthusiasm and love for his craft inspires his team at Geyser Peak. Living in Geyserville with Linda, and their children, Matilda, Sadie, and Charlie, he is aware of echoes of the past and perhaps the stirrings of fate. "I have fond memories from my childhood of going to the winery with dad at harvest time," Mick says. "The smells and the activity are still exciting. Today I get so much pleasure bringing my kids here during harvest that I like to think someday they'll look back on this time with the same pleasant memories."