Clairault Chief Winemaker |  Will Shields

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Will Shields was raised in Newport, Sydney on the northern beaches. At age 15, Will moved to the Hunter Valley where his parents purchased a small winery and vineyard, Oakvale. It was during this time that the idea of becoming a winemaker was hatched.

From 1989 to 1991, Will studied winemaking at Roseworthy College in Adelaide. He travelled back to the Hunter Valley during breaks to help out in the family winery (and to hit golf balls around the paddock) at Oakvale. In his last year of Roseworthy, Will worked a 'double' vintage for Lindemans in the Hunter Valley and Coonawarra.

Following graduation from Roseworthy and a year back in the Hunter Valley, Will was keen to explore some other regions. The opportunity came up to work as winemaker at Lenton Brae in Margaret River, Where he stayed from 1993 vintage until the end of 1994. At the start of 1995 Will accepted a senior winemaking position at Vasse Felix, Margaret River. Vasse Felix went through some enormous production growth during this time including the building of a new winery.

Will was attracted to Clairault’s commitment to quality and their pursuit of excellence on the domestic and international stage, and joined the Clairault team as the chief winemaker in January 2003. Will has resided in the area since 1993 and loves the lifestyle the region has to offer, he loves fishing, camping, and getting lost on dirt tracks. Will is passionate about wine, the making of and obviously the drinking of. In wines he looks for, most importantly, an expression of the fruit and the vineyard’s characteristics, then balance, structure and length.