Rob MacCulloch's first real experience with wine was when he joined Oddbins as an apprentice. Subsequently, he worked at Montana's Gisborne winery in New Zealand, then in the UK for Hatch Mansfield, Bibendum Wines, and for the Burgundy and Beaujolais specialists Domaine Direct. Rob then made a career change, leaving wine sales and entering wine production. He gained practical production experience around the world by completing five harvests in twenty months, including in areas such as Australia's Margaret River, Germany's Mosel Valley, and New Zealand's Hawke's Bay. This practical experience ranged from working for traditional family-run small estates, bulk wine co-operatives, large custom crush facilities, and wineries making ultra-premium wines. Rob went on to complete the Graduate Diploma in Viticulture and Oenology, with its focus on cool climate viticulture, at Lincoln University in New Zealand. Thereafter he worked as Client Winemaker at the custom crush winery in Hawke's Bay where he had previously worked. He then worked as a Winemaking & Oenological Consultant, assisting wine producers to research, analyse and identify methods to improve winemaking operations, systems, and ultimately, winemaking profitability. Recently, he returned to his home county of Hampshire, to take up the position of Head Winemaker at Hattingley Valley Wines.

Primary area(s) of work: Wine production

Industry sector(s): Viticulture, Winemaking, QA/QC

Wine region expertise: Hawke's Bay, Marlborough, Mosel, New Zealand, Burgundy, Rhone, California, England

Market expertise: Australia, New Zealand, Europe, United Kingdom

Specialisms: Rootstocks and grafting, Life cycle of the vine, Establishment of vineyards, Factors affecting grape growing, Cultivation of the vine, Maladies of the vine and their control, Structure and composition of grapes, Harvesting of grapes, Commercial advice on vinyard establishment, Environmental impacts, Startup and profitability, Processing of grapes, Fermentation, Maturation and blending, Stabilisation and clarification, Economics of wine production, Wine styling, Winery design and construction, Production costs, P&L, Elevage / maturation, Blending, Preparation of finished wine for bottling, Quality assurance and control, Bulk shipment, Supply chain efficiency, Sensory evaluation , Financial and commercial structures, Supplier/customer relationships, Distribution, Independent retail, Wine laws and regulations, Supply chain efficiency, Wine judging