TREVOR MAX
It’s hard to give thanks to the old man Max. Not that we don’t express it, it’s just that those hard working fellas of his generation are no good at receiving it.
The ‘Trevor Max’ Shiraz is a surprise and strong-armed THANK YOU to one of the most dedicated and driven humans I know, Max.
Trevor ‘Max’ Dugmore was born in 1949. He grew up in Strathalbyn and got a job in the shearing sheds when he was young. He worked for the same company for 47 years, starting as a roustabout and, long story short, by the time he retired he was managing director for NSW and QLD.
He was a gun tennis player, loves a game of 500, loves the swannies, drops the c-bomb like it’s just come into fashion, says that mayonnaise is the key to all good salads, hates Semillon and loves his grandkids more than anything. He squints so hard when he smiles you’d be surprised he can laugh and drive a car at the same time. He has never once shaved his top lip, the hair just thickened up on par with his outer layer as the life experience flowed in.
He is relentless in so many ways. He wakes up at 5am every day ready to get stuck into something. He got busier in retirement and he is the only person who can wear out our kids. He is the fittest 73 year old I have seen.
True story - he heard that walking backwards for 20 meters a day helps to prolong alzheimers so he went to the oval and did 4 laps backwards. Seriously. Job done. Classic Max.
What he has done for Stoke in our Cassini Vineyard is phenomenal. This man cuts no corners, he knows how to run a business and he knows that all those 1 percenters add up to achieve the highest quality possible. Especially in viticulture.
Our vineyard is a 3.5 hour trip away from our house, which includes a ferry trip in it. We have two young kids to wrangle and my wife Bec works 4 days a week too. A wise man once said, ‘the best fertiliser is the gardener’s shadow’. Dad is over there almost every second week these days. He hovers over those vines and, because of this, our vineyard has never looked as healthy as it is today. Vintage ’23 is going to be very good. We couldn’t do it with out Dad.
The only way I can think of to thank him properly is to do the same for my kids. But the wine will have to do for now.
The Trevor Max Shiraz is the best single barrel of Shiraz we made from the first harvest of our Cassini vineyard in 2021. It was chosen from a selection of 14 barrels in total.
The chosen barrel stood out because the wine was bigger and bolder than the others. A lengthier sentence in oak saw it grow in confidence, without being pretentious. An important trait for a humble existence.
Made quite simply in order to express the fruit and the land that it is from, it was hand-picked and gently destemmed for a wild whole berry ferment. Plunged twice a day and basket pressed direct to French oak just before dry. It spent 20 months in oak to get to know itself. No additions or fining, bottled in house.
The 2021 harvest was an emotional roller coaster for Stoke. The Trevor Max signifies persistence and resilience. It is a reminder for us that hard work does pay off and hard work is all the old man knows. Thanks Max.
This is a limited release, with only 200 bottles made, plus a run of 100 Magnums. Available to pick up here and at select Stoke stockists.
The ‘Trevor Max’ Shiraz is a surprise and strong-armed THANK YOU to one of the most dedicated and driven humans I know, Max.
Trevor ‘Max’ Dugmore was born in 1949. He grew up in Strathalbyn and got a job in the shearing sheds when he was young. He worked for the same company for 47 years, starting as a roustabout and, long story short, by the time he retired he was managing director for NSW and QLD.
He was a gun tennis player, loves a game of 500, loves the swannies, drops the c-bomb like it’s just come into fashion, says that mayonnaise is the key to all good salads, hates Semillon and loves his grandkids more than anything. He squints so hard when he smiles you’d be surprised he can laugh and drive a car at the same time. He has never once shaved his top lip, the hair just thickened up on par with his outer layer as the life experience flowed in.
He is relentless in so many ways. He wakes up at 5am every day ready to get stuck into something. He got busier in retirement and he is the only person who can wear out our kids. He is the fittest 73 year old I have seen.
True story - he heard that walking backwards for 20 meters a day helps to prolong alzheimers so he went to the oval and did 4 laps backwards. Seriously. Job done. Classic Max.
What he has done for Stoke in our Cassini Vineyard is phenomenal. This man cuts no corners, he knows how to run a business and he knows that all those 1 percenters add up to achieve the highest quality possible. Especially in viticulture.
Our vineyard is a 3.5 hour trip away from our house, which includes a ferry trip in it. We have two young kids to wrangle and my wife Bec works 4 days a week too. A wise man once said, ‘the best fertiliser is the gardener’s shadow’. Dad is over there almost every second week these days. He hovers over those vines and, because of this, our vineyard has never looked as healthy as it is today. Vintage ’23 is going to be very good. We couldn’t do it with out Dad.
The only way I can think of to thank him properly is to do the same for my kids. But the wine will have to do for now.
The Trevor Max Shiraz is the best single barrel of Shiraz we made from the first harvest of our Cassini vineyard in 2021. It was chosen from a selection of 14 barrels in total.
The chosen barrel stood out because the wine was bigger and bolder than the others. A lengthier sentence in oak saw it grow in confidence, without being pretentious. An important trait for a humble existence.
Made quite simply in order to express the fruit and the land that it is from, it was hand-picked and gently destemmed for a wild whole berry ferment. Plunged twice a day and basket pressed direct to French oak just before dry. It spent 20 months in oak to get to know itself. No additions or fining, bottled in house.
The 2021 harvest was an emotional roller coaster for Stoke. The Trevor Max signifies persistence and resilience. It is a reminder for us that hard work does pay off and hard work is all the old man knows. Thanks Max.
This is a limited release, with only 200 bottles made, plus a run of 100 Magnums. Available to pick up here and at select Stoke stockists.