Nic’s grandparents Dr Kevin and Diana Cullen were one of the three ‘founding doctors’ of Margaret River (along with Dr Pannel from Moss Wood and Dr Cullity from Vasse Felix), planting vines on a farm they owned in Wilyabrup in 1971, with Diana being a pioneering female winemaker in Western Australia. His father, Dr Michael Peterkin founded Pierro in 1979, and Nic grew up immersed in the wine business. So you could presume he was always going to be a winemaker. However, like the ‘dare to be different ethos’ of his handcrafted L.A.S. Vino brand, there are many more twists to his tale. It’s a fascinating journey that leads to highly individual wines, and illuminates new paths to the future for the wine industry.◆ Your journey to starting L.A.S. Vino was long and winding! Can you briefly describe how you got to where you are today?Nic ―― As you know, I grew up in a wine family, so from a young age I was working in the vineyards, the winery, and even with cellar door sales. And at the dinner table and with visitors there was always tasting and talk of wine, so I was immersed in all aspects of the business. From the outside being a winemaker can seem romantic, but living with it day in and out I could see it was a lot of hard work, and the rewards were often a long time coming. For many years, my dad combined vineyard and winery work with being a full-time medical doctor.As I grew older I was doing everything from weeding in the vineyards to cleaning tanks, and saw the vineyard and winery as work rather than my future, and an opportunity to earn money to do the things I really wanted to do ‒ which were study and travel. After high school I did a vintage at Pierro, followed by a vintage at Herdade do Esporão in Portugal. I came back to UWA (University of Western Australia) in Perth where I studied biochemistry and microbiology, together with finance and marketing, with the breaks from university spent working vintages and travelling. It included time at Casa Madero which is the oldest winery in Mexico with a reputation on a par with Penfolds in Australia, and at Truchard in Sonoma/Napa, a large estate that made its own wines but was mainly supplying fruit to other wineries. It was there I started to wonder if you treated the fruit with an artisan mentality rather than as a bulk commodity, what could you create with it.◆ Master in Oenology at University of Adelaide―― I was gearing up for more travel and winery work when I paused to think where would it all lead? So I applied to study for the Master in Oenology at the University of Adelaide and got in. I loved it from the start, and within a few months realized I had found my calling. For two years my life was all about wine, as everybody I was studying with had the same focus and intensity. One of the significant moments at Adelaide was when visiting winemaker and guest lecturer Bertus Fourie hosted a tasting of South African Chenin Blanc. I was amazed at the range of expressions and quality. There is quite a bit of Chenin Blanc in Margaret River, but it was mainly used for blending or bulk wines, and not creating anything exciting.◆ The origins of LAS Vino―― After I graduated from Adelaide, I travelled and worked as a winemaker, then headed back to Margaret River in 2013. I couldn’t get a job making wine in the family business as there were no positions available. When I asked my father if I could buy fruit from the family business he said “No, we’re selling out of all the wines we make at Pierro and need all the fruit we can get.” I got the same response from my aunt (Vanya Cullen, owner/winemaker at Cullen Wines). From there I looked to work with growers who shared the same ethos to set up a small winery to craft wines, applying ‘luck, art and science’ to the winemaking.◆ Can you explain your ‘dare to be different’ ethos―― I’ve never seen the point in making the same wines as everyone else. Simply put, a lot of companies in wine are doing and making the exact same thing and expecting a different result. The variety, style, bottle shape, label and story are the same, and with so much competition in the market they often struggle. From the outset we wanted to create wines that no one else was making, whether the variety or the method, and amplify that through the packaging. Create distinct, different and delicious wines that were the best in their unique class.――When my grandparents and parents started out, they were pioneers, experimenting with what worked and what didn’t, from grape varietals to planting density, to produce outstanding wines. I saw the same pioneering spirit when I visited Frankland River, starting up in a new region. I wanted to do what other people aren’t, in my choice of varietals, winemaking, and the packaging, to create an emotional connection to the wine. What this ethos translates into is organically grown where possible, unique sites whether that is soil composition or the varieties planted or a combination of both, that make unique and different tasting wine. These sites take a while to find, but growing up in the region you develop relationships with growers and stumble upon them. For my first vintage I made 3 wines, CBDB - Chenin Blanc Dynamic Blend, a wild-ferment Chardonnay, and a ‘Pirate Blend’ of three classic Portuguese varietals, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Cao and Sousao. Over the years I have added further wines as I get introduced to new beautiful vineyards.◆ How does LAS Vino stand apart?――The key to all LAS Vino wines is quality. The quality of the fruit is first and foremost, and it is complemented by a minimalist approach in the winery, preferring hand over machinery, and patience to allow things to develop naturally. That said, especially in the early days I had a higher appetite for risk ‒ if the first wines never worked out, what did I have to lose? (his credit lines were maxed out so actually quitea lot!). So I could experiment with the grapes that other people were ignoring. I use natural fermentation, and over time have come to use large-format oak and amphoras which impart a different texture. We continue to learn and try something new each vintage. In 2022 for instance, working with friends we made 4 barrels of Vermentino, half of which we immersed as whole bunches in seawater for 40 hours, to see the impact of the salt water and if we could minimize the use of sulphur. The result was one barrel that was too salty that was made into Vermouth (another opportunity) and the other 3 barrels were blended to create the wine. The Vermentino had about half the salt content of the ocean and a very unique texture and flavour.◆ What is your role at Pierro?――I’m the general manager. My dad Mike only retired from his medical practice 3 years ago, and wanted to focus on the things he enjoys most ‒ he’s in charge of the winemaking and vineyard direction. Christian our senior winemaker makes the wines and Kip our vineyard manager tends to the vines. As general manager of Pierro and Fire Gully I gently steer the ship. I guess I look at it a bit like a coach, letting the players shine and giving a little guidance and direction applying an overview of the playing field where you can see it as an entirety. It also means I do all the paperwork and business side of the winemaking, applying the finance and business knowledge from my studies.Nick and Michael Peterkin, Owner of Pierro◆ What does the future hold for L.A.S. Vino――We will only make 20-30 tons max a year. That’s as much as I can handle with the help of a small team. It allows me to be hands-on in every aspect of the winemaking, and what is happening in every barrel. We make roughly 200 dozen of each of our wines, in the winery at Pierro. We aim to grow, not in production but in quality each year, being small in size helps us in that ethos.Pierro & Fire GullyThe history of creating premium wines in Margaret River is intertwined with Pierro’s story. Established by Michael Peterkin in 1979, Pierro pioneered high-density planting of 4,000 to 5,500 vines per hectare on a block of rocky l and purchased in Wilyabrup in Margaret River. Pierro was the first to make a Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc blend in Australia, a style now synonymous with Margaret River. Today Pierro adds a little touch of Chardonnay and calls it LTC. The winery also forged a global reputation for the quality of their Chardonnays and reds that express their unique site. In 1998 they bought the nearby Fire Gully Estate to craft classic Margaret River varietals that express the region that are all hand-picked, hand-made and incredibly good value.* The Darling Scarp or Darling Ranges is an escarpment formed by an exposed fault, where a plateau 230-400m above sea level drops to the coastal plain. Once considered a mountain range, it runs north-south from east of Perth to south of Pemberton, literally standing out from the Great Plateau, a vast plateau of ancient bedrock and soil which makes up almost the entirety of the vast state of Western Australia.《From Village Cellars》We visited Pierro in March this year. At the winery close to the densely planted fields we experienced pigeage (punch down) and tasting from the fermentation tanks and barrels, and after a short break with a cold beer, tasting some lightly aged Cabernet Merlot and VR Chardonnay. Just as we were getting a sense of Pierro’s high quality, Nic brought out the Las Vino Granite Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon, saying, “Let's try these too!” From the look on his face as he talked about them, we could see he was enjoying winemaking in a different way from Pierro. The high quality of the wines impressed the sommeliers who were with us, and asked if they were available in Japan. This is another reason why we are re-introducing Las Vino. 〈Yasuhiro Momma, Sales Team〉＃12924L.A.S. Vino Cabernet Sauvignon '22Region: Margaret River, Western AustraliaVarietal: Chenin Blanc Alc.13.9％RRP ￥8,200 (Tax excl.)“ ‘CBDB’ was the first wine we made in 2013, and we have beenmaking it ever since. It comes from a unique vineyard in Yallingup, sited on gravelly loam, and certified biodynamic and organic. The vineyard is left to its own devices, with no trellising or even pruning. In a great year there is a bumper crop, in a bad year not much to speak of. The fruit was hand-picked and hand-sorted, lightly pressed as whole bunches, and wild fermented in old French oak and amphoras. There was no malo with fortnightly lees stirring prior to being bottled with no fining and a light filtration.”＃12938L.A.S. Vino Chardonnay '23Region: Margaret River, Western AustraliaVarietal: Chardonnay Alc.13.7％RRP ￥7,000 (Tax excl.)“ The wine expresses the beauty of Margaret River Chardonnay, with power yet freshness from vineyards surrounded by the ocean on three sides. All fruit is handpicked and whole bunch pressed, and fermented and matured in a combination of clay amphora and old oak barrels. Partial malo and left for 10 months in the vessel.”＃12925L.A.S. Vino Granite Grenache '23Region: Fergusson Valley, Geographe, Western AustraliaVarietal: Grenache Alc.13.9％RRP ￥8,200 (Tax excl.)“ From a stunning vineyard on the Darling Scarp*, that sits on a north-facing granite slope at 300m above sea level in Fergusson Valley. Bunch and berry sorted prior to a natural ferment in large-format oak, with 20 percent whole bunch providing structure and aromatics. Aged in amphora and large oak barrels for 11 months. Bottled with no fining and a light filtration. ”＃12926L.A.S. Vino Cabernet Sauvignon '22Region: Margaret River, Western AustraliaVarietal: Cabernet Sauvignon Alc.15.0％RRP ￥9,500 (Tax excl.)“ I avoided making a Cabernet for many years, because what could I add that other wineries in Margaret River aren’t already doing? But I was offered these very special Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, which come from the same organic and biodynamic vineyard as the CBDB Chenin Blanc in Yallingup. The fruit was handpicked, hand-sorted, and naturally fermented as whole berries in large-format oak, with a small portion left on skins for 12 months to add depth and flavour.”