Catlin Wines
Catlin Wines display a long-game attitude
Growing up studying wine and working in the Barossa Valley, Darryl Catlin has a unique connection and history with wines. After working with larger entities in the wine game ranging from Shaw and Smith to Sidewood Winery, Darryl began looking for a way to express his own passion for making wine. In 2013, Catlin Wines was born.
‘Being able to make the wines we want to make. Choosing the vineyards and grape varieties. Having an experimental range. Having the creative license to do it; there’s a deep satisfaction in that,’ Darryl explained of his decision to start his own wine business.
Promising premium quality and hand-crafted wines, Catlin Wines has expanded over the last decade. Not only has their wine range grown, but they have also partnered with distributors and international exports. In 2016, James Halliday named Catlin Wines as one of the Top 10 Best New Wineries.
Most recently, Darryl and his wife Georgie have also opened up a cellar door, Catlin on Magill, which is situated on Magill Road.
Along with creative expression, Darryl also values community. ‘First and foremost, we have to make sure that what we are producing is a quality product,’ Darryl said. For Catlin Wines, quality is afforded through wine making that utilises minimal intervention techniques. ‘Part of our philosophy has always been producing vegan wines. I think less intervention is best, and I’ve always followed that path,’ Darryl added.
With a wine that is vegan friendly and features less sulphur adds, more people can enjoy Catlin Wines. In terms of the cellar door, the community also loves being able to purchase good wine and interact with the people who made it possible.
This community presence has been the result of hard work by both Darryl and his wife, Georgie, a speech pathologist by trade but a wine lover by nature. ‘Small businesses are multifaceted in the wine industry,’ Darryl said. ‘You have to be everything from marketing and sales to distribution.’ This means being on top of details like designing labels, choosing the right packaging and sending out samples.
While owning a business is a lot of hard work, Darryl has a steadfast commitment to crafting premium-quality wines. ‘Wine making is my passion, so it’s easy to keep working hard. If you’ve been doing this for 20-plus years, you understand what vintage is about and how there will be ebbs and flows. With our small business, we want to express the year that’s been in our vintages,’ Darryl explained.
In wine making, every year, you will have a different vintage of wine. For example, in cool, wet years, you will get a different wine when compared to a warm year. In terms of vintage and harvest, this means working 12, 14 and even 18-hour days for a period of two to three months. At the end of that vintage, the focus shifts to getting whites ready and bottling reds from the last year. ‘There is no off switch in some respects,’ Darryl said.
Further challenges for Catlin Wines centred around the pandemic. From a decline in sales and training conditions to losing distributors and confronting a market with a new generation of non-drinkers, the challenges have been vast and varied.
However, Darryl and Georgie’s long-game attitude and commitment to making sacrifices have ensured that Catlin Wines keeps going and growing. This commitment most recently resulted in the opening of their cellar door – Catlin on Magill – a little over a year ago.
Offering an urban tasting room experience, Catlin on Magill caters to food and wine lovers as well as people looking for experiences. Open to children, adults and dogs, the cellar door opens for drinks and nibbles on Friday and Sunday as well as for special events such as sausage-making days and much more.
Through opportunistic luck, Darryl and Georgie found the perfect location for their cellar door. Located in a mixed area with a lack of services, they could see their vision coming to life. ‘We also had a lot of support from locals; we kept getting encouragement from everyone around us. Locals would say to us that they needed something like this, so the voice of the community was 100 per cent behind us,’ Darryl said.
Local but with a different vibe, Catlin on Magill has quickly become a favourite amongst the people. The cellar door has even started playing host to functions and events. ‘Even if they are coming in for a tasting platter or a glass of wine, people are starting to make us their venue of choice,’ Darryl said.
Continuing to provide elements of quality and connection to the broader community will remain a key pillar of operations for Catlin Wines. ‘Everyday costs are increasing, but no one wants to pay more for wine. There is no substitute for food; there is for wine, so it’s going to be something we have to manage carefully,’ Darryl explained.
Operating out of the Campbelltown City Council area is proving helpful to their mission. ‘The council are fantastic at providing opportunities, communication and chances to participate. They are always proactive in informing us about business and community grants and upcoming participation opportunities, such as the annual Pizza @ Brookside event as part of the Campbelltown Pizza Festival,’ Darryl said.
Catlin Wines hopes to continue to apply for business and community grants to realise its ultimate goal – becoming self-sustaining. ‘I always wanted to start something on my own. It was only a matter of how you launch it off the ground because it is so capital-intensive. Achieving this dream has been the hardest but most rewarding thing,’ Darryl said.
Business tips
Darryl’s business tips are:
- Listen to your customer base and evolve from there. The people will tell you what they are looking for and what they want out of your products.
- Have a story and a place to tell that story. Wine is something that is very emotive. We have both a story and a home to tell that story in.
- Understand why you are going into business. This also means understanding your limitations and surrounding yourself with good people who can offer help. Above all, understanding your business story helps you to never give up on your dream.
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