Yarra Valley Bud’s Upcoming Events!

Yarra Valley Wine History with Rob Sutherland
Barrique Wine Store · Tuesday 8 September · Mystery Wine with Rob from 5pm

Meet Rob Sutherland — De Bortoli viticulturist, custodian of 240 hectares of Yarra vines, and the newest Yarra Valley Wine Hall of Fame inductee.

Beyond the vineyard, Rob has a passion for the past. Digging through old books in op shops and libraries, he's uncovered remarkable stories about grape growing in the Yarra Valley — including the region's oldest vines, more than 100 years in the ground.

A night of great wine and even better stories.

The Side Hustle That Became the Main Event: An Evening with Tillie J
Tuesday 6 October · Barrique Wine Store · From 5pm

Every big label starts small. For Natillie "Tillie J" Johnston, it started with two tonnes of pinot noir and a lot of nerve.

Join us at Barrique for a candid chat with one of the Yarra Valley's brightest young winemakers about the reality of starting — and running — a wine side hustle. A Yarra Valley native, Tillie fell for wine while working cellar doors to fund a Sports Science degree, completed her first harvest at Coldstream Hills in 2012, then chased vintages around the world — Yarra Yering, Leeuwin Estate, Brokenwood, and further afield in Oregon, Germany and New Zealand — before coming home to launch Tillie J Wines through No.7 Healesville's inaugural Young Winemakers program.

The label has since earned a Top 50 Young Gun of Wine spot four years running and the 2023 People's Choice Award. Tillie will share how she built it from the ground up — the graft, the lessons, and what it really takes to turn a passion project into a name people know.