Alpha Box & Dice banking future on young winemaker

By David Russell

McLaren Vale winery Alpha Box & Dice has appointed 26-year-old Sam Berketa to the role of Head Winemaker, making him one of the youngest in South Australia to hold that position within an established brand. Outgoing winemaker Justin Lane, who founded Alpha Box & Dice in 2008 and has decided to step away from the operations of the winery, will serve as a mentor during the transition process.

Sam told Inside South Australia he was excited to have the opportunity to make some new wines to “fill out” the alphabet of wine the team has been working to create.

“Alpha Box & Dice have done wines for 19 letters of the alphabet so far,” said Sam.

“I’m pretty excited, I’ve got a few letters left to make my mark with.”

Despite Sam’s rapid rise to prominence in the wine industry, he came to winemaking later than most of his contemporaries. He got half way through a chemistry and drug design degree and was working part-time in a lab when he decided to re-think his career.

“I really wanted to go into visual arts, something a little more creative. But I spoke to my parents, who paid for me to go through school, and they said, ‘can’t you do art as a hobby?’

“I gave them a little bit of leeway with that and found the perfect marriage between creativity and science and went into winemaking.”

Sam says his interest in art and being younger than most fits well with the Alpha Box & Dice brand.

“The labels, the packaging, this brand is awesome. Wine making is a kind of art, it’s definitely a creative industry. The brand hasn’t always been aimed at young people but its sat really well with them (because of) the packaging and the whole brand idea. For me it’s a place I have always fit in.”

As for what the next seven letters of Alpha Box & Dice’s alphabet of wine are going to look like, Sam is keeping his cards close to his chest, but he’s optimistic it’s shaping up to be a good first vintage.

“It’s been a weird one these last few weeks with these huge downpours of rain. We’re looking at things getting flavour ripe a lot earlier than things getting sugar ripe… so low alcohol content but plenty of flavour, which suits our style very well.”

Photo: AB&D cellar door. Source: Facebook

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