Premium Winemaker

Château Tanunda Premium Winemaker - Jeremy Ottawa

Jeremy Ottawa is a winemaker with a passion for creating exceptional wines. Growing up in Sydney, he was drawn to the world of winemaking by the stories shared at the dinner table. After spending two years under the focused winemaking philosophy of Colin Glaetzer at Glaetzer Wines, he moved to St Hallett, where he spent 19 years creating exceptional wines and steering the brand toward the future.

In 2020, a chance meeting with free-spirited thinker John Geber opened the door for Ottawa to join the Château Tanunda winemaking family, looking after the iconic winemaker’s premium and Barossa Valley wines. The chance to lead the winemaking on iconic wines such as the rare and collectable ‘The Everest’ and ‘Old Vine Expressions’ for the iconic 130-year-old Château proved an inspiration for Jeremy.

Ottawa is an integral part of the winery’s evolution, expanding the winery’s capabilities and evolving the style into the modern age. He believes in the exciting evolution taking place in the Barossa Valley, pushing forward with a driving style of vibrancy, freshness, and wines supported by oak and not covered in it.

When not in the winery, Ottawa enjoys surfing, rock climbing, and exploring South Australia in his old Land Rover. He is currently renovating a house in Kapunda, first built in the 1870s. For him, learning these old trades to restore the old home is as exciting as winemaking. Like playing with grapes, he is learning by experience, approaching everything thoughtfully and purposefully to showcase all the original features created all those years ago.