the not serious Ashleigh Barrowman
Ashleigh Barrowman and I first met in Marlborough — Waterfall Bay to be precise. We were hosting hospo folk and wine retailers for a few days foray into MANA Winegrowers — a Marlborough collective of like-minded producers hell bent on sharing the love of the region through the lens of organic farming. At that time, Seresin was still a MANA member, which meant we had the very good fortune of kicking back in the bach of winery owner and Hollywood famous DOP, Michael Seresin (If you’ve watched Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban or The Life of David Gale, then you know his work). The pad, a piece of perfection by Architect Pete Bossley, set the scene for an extremely memorable few days talking shitski with people from the booze biz. Ashleigh and I clicked. I really enjoyed her company and we threatened each other with keeping in touch after that gig was over. We didn’t.
But – I did watch on with deep admiration when she resurfaced a few years later visibly determined to dedicate herself to the craft of making jolly good wine.
Ashleigh’s pathway into making her own gear was not known to me at all. She had been working with industry stalwarts, Therese and Hans Herzog, when we met so I assumed they had played a part in plying Ashleigh with such good wine she had no choice but get into a career in le vin. The Herzogs were definitely somewhat responsible — she still looks to them as friends and mentors calling by their Boomtown-based gaff frequently to taste wines together.
It was a chance encounter with a leather-pant clad, pony-tail sporting Frenchman called JJ, also known as Jean-Jacque Morel, who is perhaps most to blame for Ashleigh’s descent into the dark arts of making love potions that transcend the ethereal realms of heavenly nectars to a damn fine daily drop you just want to scoff with a slice of cheese.
JJ’s personality as an artist, philosopher and vigneron is reflected in the integrity and soul of his wines. (and we should know - we had the fortune of scoffing a bottle that Ashleigh brought along for us all to share as we chatted). JJ is known internationally for a humility that belies deeply thoughtful and labour-intensive practices and his wines have inspired what some call “#the JJ effect” among natural wine enthusiasts.
2018 Saint Aubin 1er Cru by Jean-Jacque Morel that Ashleigh shared with us while we chatted.
If the leather pants didn’t give you a clue, this guy is a real-life rock star and Ashleigh didn’t hesitate when he hinted she’d be welcome at his place. Driven by ‘a good story’ to quote Ashleigh herself, she packed a bag for Burgundy intent on learning how to make wine the JJ way — her wine life had begun.
Burgundian gangsters aside, Ashleigh has made wine in Sicily, Jura and Australia all alongside equally notable makers. Her world had opened up and it was all about to lead to the Wrekin Vineyard in Marlborough, where she sources the fruit for her Siren wine label — a label of provocative and absolutely pitch-perfect design that colourfully references Tarot cards, eluding to the science and sorcery that is behind winemaking.
These labels, designed by Lily Paris West, precisely portray Ashleigh’s love of a good story along with her penchant for reading the rulebook and then promptly rewriting the rules because for this Siren, sometimes — most times — intuition outweighs instruction.
So, pour yourself a glass of some ethereal elixir, burn a little energy-cleansing sage and get ready to shuffle your cards, this is the Not Serious Ashleigh Barrowman chat.
CHAT FACTS
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La Chatenière 2018, Saint - Aubin, 1er Cru, Jean-Jacque Morel
antipodes still mineral water 1L
While Ashleigh was the first guest to bring a wine not made by her (could we love her more?) we wanted to make sure we shared some her gear here and there’s no better place to start with The High Priestess Pinot Noir 2022. “Beautifully elegant Marlborough Pinot Noir that's both fine and generous. There's purity of fruit with detailed structure.” Ashleigh’s wines are organic and left to the work on their own. Hand-harvested by her from the Wrekin Vineyard, this wine is balanced and fruity and you can buy it at By The Bottle.
Find Ashleigh — @ashleighbarrowmanwine
This podcast was recorded in-store at By The Bottle. Thanks, ya good buggers. The podcast was edited with the assistance of Benj Brooking at Popular. Thanks Benj. You’re the best, ya dreamy bastard. ♥️🍷
