McKellar Ridge Wines have achieved excellence again, receiving their second 5-star Halliday rating in as many years. It is an industry acknowledgement only 7-8 per cent of wineries earn annually, and an impressive feat considering their relatively recent plunge into winemaking.
John and Marina Sekoranja were seemingly late bloomers to the wine industry getting their start in 2016. However, their passion for wine is something they both share and happens to run in John’s family.
John’s father is Slovenian by birth and came to Australia in the 1940s, and John is one of three children born and raised in Australia. When the children became adults, his father decided to take the family to Slovenia to visit relatives in the region.
His father has always talked about their farm in Slovenia, but it was not until John saw it with his own eyes that he realised the family farm was actually a vineyard! His father was supposed to enter the wine-producing industry himself, but the outbreak of World War II put a hold on it and eventually made it impossible. At the end of the war whilst returning to the vineyard, the state had taken control of their land. John’s father was then conscripted into the Russian army as border control which lead to his decision to flee to Australia.
After seeing his family’s involvement in producing wine and his father’s sorrow at not continuing in the tradition, John decided that he wanted to take up the mantle. It was this decision that lead him to his new life and his wife, Marina. Both shared a passion for wine, and John often discussed his dream of following in the family’s footsteps.
John smiled as he recalled when Marina gave the final push a year after their marriage; putting her hands on her hips and prompting, “So when are we going to do this?”
It was the start of their journey together, joining the wine industry in 2016. Both John and Marina resigned from secure jobs which at the time was considered a risky move considering neither had any previous experience in the making of wine. “If you have a plan B, you don’t fully commit to plan A.” said Marina.
“It’s like what they say when one door closes another one opens,” added John.
“The first thing we needed to do was immerse ourselves in the industry.”
The day of drafting his resignation letter, they attended a dinner for winemakers in Canberra where they were serendipitously seated next to the then owners of McKellar Ridge Wines who were thinking of retiring.
“We became close very quickly over about a month. We shared a similar passion for wines which made them believe we were the right people for the job,” said John.
For an entire vintage, John and Marina shadowed the process from vine care to bottling.
“They taught us everything they knew about wine.”
Simultaneously, John and Marina began studying a Bachelor of Wine Science and eventually took over in July of 2017. Since then, they have fully embraced the business by planting a new vineyard and designing a cellar door. They both expressed how much they love the versatility of the industry. Not only do they get to go outdoors, but there is a lot of science involved as well as the opportunity to be social.
Winemakers passion wins – Marina and John Sekoranja, McKellar Ridge Wines at their Murrumbateman cellar door which now boasts a 5 star Halliday ratingMcKellar Ridge Wines is located at 2 Euroka Ave, Murrumbateman and as of 2019 John and Marina not only operate the business but have now secured the land.
“Pure fruit expression, minimal intervention, exceptional quality” is the McKellar Ridge Winemakers philosophy and their numerous awards and ratings are proof it is a winning one.
John and Marina took a chance on a dream, found each other, and have created a product which has proven to be a worthy addition to any wine collection.
By Ryan Betts
