Tony D’Aloisio, Chairman of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), has become the major shareholder of Oakridge Estate, the small, high-quality Yarra Valley vineyard that was previously purchased by Evans & Tate in 2001. His partners are the family of existing Oakridge winemaker David Bicknell, who has recently added the role of chief executive officer to his previous responsibilities. This is an ideal scenario for David Bicknell and for the growing number of Oakridge supporters attracted to Bicknell’s deft and stylish touch. Having retained his entire production team, Bicknell has also been able to retain virtually all his key growers, and believes he has replaced those he has lost with better sources of fruit. D’Aloisio, whose extensive business experience has seen him in roles such as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer at the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) and Chief Executive Partner at Mallesons Stephen Jaques, has created a new financial structure for Oakridge, but is more than happy to delegate the daily operations to Bicknell and his team. Although the ‘tsunami-like’ 2008 vintage in which ‘every day is more like a week’ thanks to the virtually simultaneous ripening of grape varieties is warm and early, Oakridge should at least maintain its impressive recent standards.
