Steve Flamsteed was today announced Legend of the Vine amongst industry peers at the annual Royal Melbourne Jimmy
Watson Trophy Winners Lunch. As a winemaker, chef and cheesemaker, our 2019 Victorian Legend of the Vine; Steve Flamsteed has lived a life many could only dream of.
As a young man Steve didn’t follow the traditional path that many of his peers had taken before him. With a passion for cooking Steve moved from his hometown of Toowoomba to Brisbane as an apprentice chef. With his love for French cuisine our Legend jumped on a plane to Europe where he worked as a chef in London. Getting tired of London, he literally ran away to join a circus.
As fate would have it, Steve did not pursue his circus career and ended up in France where he met an Australian winemaker, who changed everything. With a new love for wine, Steve moved back to Australia to study winemaking.
Having completed his studies, his love for all things food and wine and particularly cheese saw a new adventure for Steve when he was successful in winning a Queen’s Trust Scholarship to study farmhouse cheesemaking in France. He ended up spending a few years living the dream; bouncing between the winery, the creamery and the kitchen.
However, for Steve home was calling so he moved back to Australia ending up in the Yarra Valley as the Chef Winemaker for Giant Steps.
“Steve has made an outstanding contribution to the wine industry. His clear passion and pursuit for using the finest raw ingredients from exceptional vineyards in the Yarra Valley saw him being awarded the 2016 Winemaker of the Year by Gourmet Traveller WINE,” said National Chair, Toni Carlino.
Steve is today a respected wine judge, panel chair and chairperson in the Australian wine show judging circuit. He has been instrumental in directing others to think differently about appraisal; drinkability first, fault finding missions second. Showing endless commitment to improving Pinot Noir in Australia, he has played a notable role in the quiet revolution of Victorian wines, both advocating and practising more transparent farming and limited intervention winemaking.