Babies and Wine: The perfect balance for Jess.
HER NAME
JESS
MAKES SIPS AT
A.R.C WINES
Jess was one of the first people we reached out to when SIP’ER was just a baby of an idea, and funnily enough, Jess had an actual baby baking away too. There were weeks and months in between emails when her time was filled with baby duties, and when we finally got to have a chat with her, she had her baby and we had ours too. Look at us and our babies!
Ok, back to A.R.C Wines. Having spent her whole career in the hospitality industry, Jess has co-founded A.R.C wines. She’s all things A.R.C: The accountant, the marketer, the tractor driver, the organiser... and all things in the vineyard lead back to her. She collaborates closely with her husband James on winemaking, and she told us that she'll be taking more of a role with that side of things now that she's had her children (which she says she always seems to be having during vintage or during pruning season).
Jess and James have so much love for creating wild ferment, unfiltered & unfined wines. Their wines are best paired with friends and food, so just let the good times roll.
“I’m inspired by working on the land. I love being outdoors and I find that it’s great for my mental health. I’ve worked hard to create a balance and a business that enables me to enjoy my family and the things I love.”
SIP’ER: What is your key role within A.R.C Wines? Is there anyone else that leads it with you?
JESS: My role within our label is; the accountant, the marketer, the tractor driver, the organiser and all things vineyard. I taste all the wines and collaborate with how things are going within the cellar. My husband James is the winemaker, but moving forward I’ll be taking more of a role with this side of things now that we’ve had our children - I seem to have babies either during vintage, or with our most recent: During pruning season. We’re based in Warragul, Baw Baw Shire in West Gippsland on Gunaikurnai country and we lease just over 3 hectares of the old Wild Dog Vineyard as well as our own vineyard that we planted at home in Ferndale.
SIP’ER: Wow - you have a lot of jobs! How did you and James start A.R.C?
JESS: The business is in it’s 5th year now, but I've been in the hospitality industry my whole life so I’ve been surrounded by wine for a very long time. So we finished working at a restaurant in Sydney and moved to Melbourne - James went to work with William Downie and I’d come to visit every weekend, and I just fell in love with Gippsland. A few months later we found our farm and settled in West Gippsland. I ran a restaurant called Hogget Kitchen which is situated amongst the old Wild Dog Vineyard, which James and I now farm over 3 hectares of. It’s been a full circle in my eyes; having looked at the vineyard every day to now working in those vines. We also planted a vineyard at home in 2020 and we look forward to seeing that evolve over time.
SIP’ER: What inspires you to keep going?
JESS: I’m inspired by working on the land. I love being outdoors and I find that it’s great for my mental health. I’ve worked hard to create a balance and a business that enables me to enjoy my family and the things I love.
SIP’ER: What’s been your career highlight? Can you pair an A.R.C wine with this moment?
JESS: Within the hospitality and wine industry, it would’ve been being a part of the MAD food symposium in Copenhagen in 2013 alongside the Noma crew. I was working at Momofuku Seiobo at the time and we got to enjoy the post celebration dinner under the bridge in Copenhagen, where we ate incredible food and of course, enjoyed the most amazing natural wine. I would definitely say this time in our career was the catalyst for the natural wine movement in our lives and was the foundation for what we enjoy now and also what we enjoy to make. I’d pair this memory with our 2021 A.R.C Maceration Wine.
SIP’ER: What’s been the biggest challenge in your career so far that you’ve been able to overcome?
JESS: The biggest challenge was taking the jump to leave my job managing Hogget Kitchen to go into our business full time, and one month later COVID hit. It was a really tough time, as we had just taken on farming full time, but at the same time didn’t have any family around - so when vintage hit, it was the two of us and the wonderful Adrianna who works with us. We’ve made some incredible wines this year - I think it’s because COVID enabled us the time to hold the wines back longer and gave us more time to think about things. We also got married last year and Patrick Sullivan gifted us the Pinot Gris block which we have loved working with! I’d pair this moment with our Pink Maceration wine which is 100% Pinot Gris that’s been skin macerated and the perfect reminder of what summer is all about.
SIP’ER: What’s your favourite wine you produce?
JESS: Our Cabernets; it's a mature sophisticated red wine that is a mix of Cabernet and Merlot and both grapes have been with us from the beginning of our wine journey so this is something special to us.
SIP’ER: Which wine brings the most joy and happy memories? Any interesting stories behind those?
JESS: Our brand designs were created based on characters from our farm in the early days. I love looking back and seeing pets and animals - past and present - that have been on our farming journey with us and I love seeing them represented through our wine labels.
SIP’ER: We love that, it’s almost a different take on a photo album. And what do you think sets A.R.C wines apart from others?
JESS: We’re so lucky to have such a varied and diverse wine scene in Australia! At A.R.C, our wines sit within the framework of natural wine and there are so many other winemakers making styles like us, that we have great respect and admiration for. So I wouldn't necessarily say our wines are better or completely different to others, but instead part of a wonderful wine community of natural-leaning winemakers in Australia.
SIP’ER: Love that! Something we’ve noticed since entering the drinks industry is that it’s so inclusive and definitely has a tight-knit community feel.
SIP’ER: What do you want people to take away from the experience after drinking your wines?
JESS: I want people to enjoy the wines over food, or amongst the company of friends and family just as we do. To become part of a memorable experience and to think of the beautiful place they were made.
SIP’ER: What’s the best way to consume A.R.C?
JESS: For James and I, we thoroughly enjoy pulling a bottle out of the fridge and enjoying a sunset over the Gippsland hills with our young family. The maceration is a favourite for this moment.
SIP’ER: We can imagine how stunning that would be! Dream.
SIP’ER: If you had to match one of your products with your personality, which would it be?
JESS: Our cider - it's a fun project we’re working on with a friend. I love social interaction and doing things with the people I love.