Sam Plunkett
Australia
Wine is my hobby as well as my job. There is a special satisfaction working with wine - it is alive!
- Winemaking legend Sam sources grapes from the family vineyard in the Strathbogie ranges of Central Victoria. Winemakers don't come much more in love with their job than him - he'd "happily spend everyday around tanks, barrels, stainless steel toys and wine".
He’s had a meteoric rise from self-taught winemaker to a multi award-winner and even has his own cellar door now! His winery was recently recognised as one of the Top 10 Dark Horse wineries in James Halliday's 2021 Awards.
The backing of thousands of Naked Angels has helped pave the way for Sam to continue making the great wine he loves, exclusively for you!
Adam Barton
Australia
Hugely talented winemaker from the Clare Valley
191,826 Ratings
24,481 Followers
- Adam Barton began his winemaking journey largely as a result of tasting a glass of the 1965 Lindemans Hunter River Burgundy, which he described as "magic". He was already a master craftsman when we found him, creating tiny amounts of his own premium label wines and winning big at the wine shows.
- Based in the Clare Valley, Adam has the freedom to explore different variteals and keep pushing the boundaries of experimentation to the delight of Angels' taste buds. We knew from the start he was a wine genius and Angels would love him!
- Adam's Rabbit & Spaghetti range of wines are snapped up by Angels, year in, year out. Carefully selected vineyards, passionate grower partners & lots of care and attention to the smallest detail in the winery make them an amazingly good drop.
Rob Paulazzo
Australia
Talented winemaker with a passion for NSW wine regions.
130,583 Ratings
16,884 Followers
- Having worked for McWilliams, Orlando and Giesen, Rob has bucket-loads of experience and is excited to use this knowledge to make wines under his very own label. What's more, his winery has achieved rock star status from top wine critics.
- Each drop he creates draws on incredible international experience... he's been everywhere a winemaker could want to work - Burgundy, Tuscany, Napa Valley, Niagara Peninsula and even magical Marlborough.
- Born and bred in the NSW Riverina region, and nominated for young winemaker of the year in 2008, Rob's got access to some seriously amazing fruit. And he's thrilled to be making wines exclusively for Angels!
Geoff Thompson
Australia
An award-winning master blender from South Australia
98,967 Ratings
15,497 Followers
The first winemaker in his family, Geoff got to grips with grapes in 2002 and left a promising career in photographic science to do something he was passionate about. Hard work and enviable talent saw him work his way up the wine-stained ladder to Senior Winemaker at the Tahbilk Group in Victoria, in charge of more than a million cases a year!
Building a reputation as a master blender, Geoff won a ton of gold medals and trophies for his wines - and developed an itch to branch out on his own, back in his McLaren Vale homeland. Angels helped him scratch it in 2013 when a phone call in a car park kicked off his dream to create wines under his own label for them!
With his winemaking wizardry and access to some of the best grapes in the country, Geoff has been wowing Angels with his sensational South Australian wines ever since. He’s caught the eye of the critics too. In 2022, his winery was awarded 4.5 stars in the iconic Halliday wine companion.
Ashley Horner
Australia
Naked's first fully certified organic winemaker!
93,279 Ratings
12,450 Followers
- Born and bred in the Upper Hunter Valley, Ash worked in local vineyards while helping to establish his Family Vineyard.
- He's one of the most passionate people we've ever met! When asked what he loved most about his job, his answer was "Everything! I love the action during vintage and the progression of grapes becoming a bottle to enjoy. I love the diversity and the abstract thinking you can put into creating a wine product. I also love the diversity of the people that work in the industry and how winemaking makes me feel complete in my life".
- What's the difference between Ash and the rest? His grapes are from organic vineyards and are made using fully certified organic practices!
Thomas Hordern
Australia
Third generation, born and bred, award-winning Hunter Valley winemaker
64,683 Ratings
9,547 Followers
- Born into a winemaking family, Thomas has been up to his ears in grape juice all his life and active in the business for over 15 years. His intimate knowledge of the Hunter grape growing region is next level.
- His true passion, and lifelong dream, was one day to summon up the courage to go 100% Naked. He instinctively believed there had to be a better way than slogging away working for the ‘man’.
- When his day job came to a halt, Angel funding came to the rescue and Thomas is now fully Naked and fully focused on crafting thousands of cases of Angel-exclusive Wiley Rooster NSW deliciousness.
Ben Gould
Australia
A family man from a family of wine producers, with sustainability his major drive
57,368 Ratings
9,528 Followers
- Ben Gould is a winemaker from WA with 20 vintages under his belt. He started in the vineyard and has done every level of job there is.
- Named in the Gourmet Traveller WINE magazine in the best of the best for 2011, and Gourmet Traveller class of 2011 Top Ten. Max Allen went on to review Ben's wines as "... released a swag of wines that blew me away".
- Ben's wines are sourced from both his own vineyards and conventional vineyards across Western Australia. His recent vineyard purchase in Margaret River was with Angel help and it is in the process of becoming certified organic!
Leighton Joy
Australia
Young chap taking over the family vineyard and turning the produce into amazing wines
47,313 Ratings
8,727 Followers
- Leighton’s eyes were opened to the idea of winemaking when he started working in his father's sultana vineyard. In 1999, his father and uncle went on to establish Pyren vineyard in the beautiful Victorian Pyrenees (now a critically acclaimed winery), and his winemaking journey began.
- Before long, Leighton had racked up crates of experience and multiple medals - including the Western Victoria Wine Challenge trophy for Best Shiraz and Best Wine. But running a small business is never plain sailing and in 2015, Pyren hit a rough spot that threatened to close its doors.
- Getting Naked changed everything for Leighton as thousands of Angels came to the rescue and tripled his wine sales overnight. Today, he continues to craft single-vineyard drops from the family’s precious vines, pouring endless amounts of honesty and integrity into each bottle. And in 2020 it earned him a spot on the Top 50 Young Guns of Wine list.
Damien Stevens & Jodie Belleville
Australia
Hunter Valley specialists blazing their own trail
31,350 Ratings
3,910 Followers
- As first-generation winemakers, Damien and Jodie built their award-winning winery from the ground up! Their careers got off to a flying start with their first-ever Semillon named best current vintage Semillon and best current vintage white wine at the Hunter Valley Wine Show in 2010, and they haven’t slowed down since. Today, they have over 9 trophies and 23 gold medals to their name!
- Having honed their skills during vintages at top Hunter Valley wineries like Brokenwood, McGuigan and Briar Ridge, and further afield in the old-world winemaking region of Campania, Italy, the dedicated duo has a truckload of experience up their sleeves.
- Angel support means Damien and Jodie can focus solely on handcrafting regionally definitive wines using the finest locally sourced fruit. Their passion for each unique vintage is undeniable, with each drop in the Fuzzy & May collection reflecting the best techniques and innovation that the Hunter Valley has to offer.
James-Paul Marin
Australia
A distinguished winemaker determined to make the world a better place
24,330 Ratings
3,298 Followers
- JP’s stellar career reaches back to 2000, but he almost walked away when corporate constraints became too much. Now, given a second chance by Angels, he’s walking to the beat of his own drum while crafting the boutique, cool-climate wines he loves.
- Extensive experience in the industry means JP has forged strong relationships that help him secure grapes from award-winning Aussie vineyards. Without being tied to one location, he’s able to select premium fruit that ensures every Enfant Terrible drop reflects the best that its vintage has to offer.
- As environmental advocate, JP handcrafts his wines using minimal intervention and sustainable techniques. Through SeedTheChange, he plants a tree for every case of wine sold – a mission that’s brilliant for Angels and for the Earth!
