Jen's story
"Jen Pfeiffer was only 4 years old when her parents bought the historic "Old Distillery" property in Rutherglen in 1984.
Jen thrived in the Pfeiffer winery environment, enjoying the freedom of exploring the vineyard on her bike, and knowing all the best places to hide in the winery during games of hide and seek with her cousins. Growing up in a winemaking family, Jen was exposed to wine culture from a very early age, and thus began the process of absorption – soaking up plenty of knowledge about the Australian and international wine industries, and being exposed to some great wines from all around the world.
Thus, it would seem it was fate that Jen return to the family business, but not before a brief stint at Melbourne University studying Science/Law. In fact, it was in 2000 that Jen decided to come home to "do the vintage and earn a bit of cash, then head off overseas". Jen was given the responsibility of making the 2000 Pfeiffer Shiraz, and discovered she had an affinity with winemaking, and that she really enjoyed the work. Jen was rewarded with a gold medal for that first wine, and the rest is history, as they say.
Today, Jen loves her winemaking role as much as ever, appealing to both her scientific and creative mind. Jen has a meticulous approach to her winemaking, believing it is the small details that can turn a good wine into a great wine. She strives for excellence across all styles, and enjoys the challenge of working with many and different varieties, from Riesling to Gamay and Shiraz to the fortifieds for which the Rutherglen region is famous.
In November 2009, at age 30, Jen was awarded the Wine Society's Young Winemaker of the Year Sommelier's Choice Award. Jen was awarded the title from a pool of the very finest young winemakers from across Australia and New Zealand. The two outstanding wines which captured the sommeliers attention were the 2008 Pfeiffer Shiraz and the 2006 Pfeiffer Christopher’s VP.
Jen has amassed over 300 medals and 12 trophies for Pfeiffer Wines in the past decade she has worked for the winery, plus had her wines nominated twice for export wine of the year.
Jen intends to continue her involvement in Pfeiffer Wines well into the future. She hopes to continue to push the boundaries of her winemaking and maintain the very high standards she has set, with a dedicated and committed approach. She hopes to grow the winery business and assist in the development of the Rutherglen region."
Australia's Young Winemaker of the Year 2009
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