Quid Pro Quo

By day, lawyer John Emmerig is a managing partner in a global law firm and an adjunct professor of law. Yet 2 other passions fuel another side to him – art (he’s a renowned painter and Archibald prize finalist) and of course wine. His foray into the latter began in 2012 when he completed a short winemaking course. Initially based in Canberra and making wine from locally purchased fruit, he and wife Jane moved to Sydney for work and sought a property closer than the country’s capital. In 2015, they bought 56ha in Broke Fordwich. From 2016, and with a strong eye to climate change, they wasted no time in planting varieties such as nero d’Avola, negroamaro, fiano, touriga, primitivo, sangiovese and gamay, alongside Hunter stalwarts such as semillon, shiraz and chardonnay. Smoke taint thwarted their first vintage from the Hunter so all the wines this year are from the Canberra region. A new onsite winery is expected to be completed in 2022. -JANE FAULKNER