Our People
Michael Datta - Vintner
Michael first started turning his passion for wine into working reality back in 1992 when he first started visiting the Hunter Valley at the ripe young age off 22. At that time he fell in love with all aspects of wine; from growing the grapes, making the wine and then actually selling it.
Michael knew one day he would move away from what was then a corporate career and dedicate his life and future goals to producing excellent grapes, supporting small growers and producing high-end, top quality wines.
In 2000, the first stage of achieving his end goal became reality. Michael left the lucrative world of consulting/recruitment and set up a small wine business consulting firm. This business simply gave boutique wineries what they wanted; which was end-to-end business services covering, vineyards, winemaking, and sales & marketing.
2003 saw Michael take on a 12 month contract the Association of Australian Boutique Winemakers as the Vice President. He was responsible for growing the vineyard/winery membership base while developing a wide range of much needed value added services and benefits.
Michael's great recent successes include working with the team at Poverty Hill Wines, receiving a "5 STAR" rating and "TOP TEN NEW WINERY" in James Halliday's 2008 Wine Companion. He also has made wines with fellow Winemaker/Mate, John Timmins and has been awarded 4 STARS in Halliday's 2006 Wine Companion, plus winning the Gold/Trophy for their 2005 Hunter Valley Chardonnay at the Hunter Valley Boutique Winemakers Awards.
It was in 2005 that Michael decided to slowly start producing his own label MDV, which was founded in Eden valley South Australia. MDV is now all about sourcing the best grapes from outstanding little vineyards and co-making handcrafted high end wines. Michael continues to assist boutique vineyards/wineries in achieving their goals.
Rebecca Hope - Brand Manager (Brisbane, Queensland)
Rebecca’s qualifications in business management and marketing (BBus) have been realised over the last 8 years on large scale ICT projects, in both the public and private sectors, in Australia and the UK. She also specialises in ICT recruitment and procurements and contracts management.
Rebecca has been cultivating her passion for wine since 2002 and has recently entered the wine industry - managing and hosting wine events - in order to introduce others to wine and its myriad of intricacies and pleasures. Rebecca’s long-term goal is to achieve a Master of Wine (MW). Rebecca’s strengths lie in presenting and facilitating and her solid knowledge of management and marketing processes.
Colin Forbes - Consulting Winemaker
As Consulting Winemaker for the MDV Riesling, Colin Forbes is bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table. It is quite well known within the wine industry of Colin's vast experience in making high end Rieslings.
Colin’s winemaking history began many years ago, where he trained at Wagga Wagga University and initially completed on-the-job training at Hardy’s Wines. Colin then worked for Saltram Wine Estates and the decided it was time to start his own winery, the legendry South Australian, Craneford Wines. Unfortunately, a very serious accident meant that he had to sell the winery and it also slowed his career down for a while. After Colin’s recovery, he rejoined the winemaking ranks and made wins for a variety of wineries; both big and small, in South Australia and NSW and also in France.
Colin's great recent success includes the "5 STAR" and "TOP TEN NEW WINERY" rating in the James Halliday 2008 Wine Companion, while he was with Poverty Hill Wines.
Colin's passion for winemaking is second-to-none and after all these years just keeps on growing.
John Timmins – Consulting Winemaker
John is a registered Pharmacist who has worked in the pharmaceutical and medical devices industries for over 20 years. During this time, he has held senior positions in Regulatory Affairs, Quality Assurance, New Product Development, Business Development and in Administration.
From young adult days, John has maintained an interest in wine and brought this beverage into the family home more familiar with beer and sherry. His interest led firstly to working on overseas vineyards and visiting sites in Rüdesheim, Alsace, Burgundy and Bordeaux and, later, to receiving a Purple Ribbon from Len Evans at the Rothbury Society’s Ribbons Course on wine appreciation and identification.
In 1998, John started a part-time degree in Wine Science at Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, completing the undergraduate course in 2003. While qualifying for Honours post-graduate studies, no suitable topic was available in John’s chosen area of yeast research; this further study option remains available.
During the course of these wine studies, John commenced making commercial quantities of wine under his own label, Timmins Wines, while also making parcels of wine for grape-growers in the Hunter Valley. Wines made since 2001 include Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sangiovese and Chardonnay. John has been an integral part of MICHAELDATTA Vineyards since 2000.
