Cooke takes Thistledown out of Alliance
Giles Cooke MW is parting with Alliance Wine Group to take its Australian Thistledown winemaking project solo.
Thistledown Wine, as it will now be known, is recognised for championing Grenache from Down Under, having been nurtured and grown by Cooke during his time at Alliance, growing its sales to some 25 markets around the globe.
Cooke (pictured, at Thistledown), who has spent 30 years with Alliance in various roles, including heading up sales, buying and marketing, has more recently been focused on the production and sales of the Thistledown wines, which Alliance will continue to distribute following his departure.
“Thirty years is a long time anywhere and I’m grateful to Alliance for providing me the opportunities to develop in so many different roles, not only in the UK but internationally – not to mention supporting me through my Master of Wine studies,” said Cooke.
“Those 30 years have encompassed pretty much every human emotion possible, from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows but it’s rarely been dull! Various life events over the last 10 years have focused my mind on what is really important to me, and I look forward to being able to pursue those goals in the future.”
Adelaide-based sales director Paddy Gilhooly, who has been with Cooke at Thistledown for 10 years, will also be continuing on that journey.
In addition to running the Thistledown operation, which has twice won the influential Halliday Grenache trophy, Cooke will continue to drive his not-for-profit Our Fathers project, which is an artisanal producer of old vine wines out of Barossa and McLaren Vale, with the profits going to charity.
Cooke added: “It’s vital to me that wine enriches lives and the Our Fathers project is the most tangible example of this ethos.
“No compromises on the wine and no compromises on what we do with any profits created – we focus on mental health charities and I’m proud that we’ve helped to support many initiatives so far. In the future I’d like to see that influence being more global.”
Commenting on the separation of Thistledown and Alliance, plus Cooke’s departure, Alliance Wine Group’s founder Christian Bouteiller described an equitable result for all concerned.
“As a board, we have been reviewing all operations with the need to focus on improved performance, invest in its existing infrastructure and the integration of the recent acquisition of H2Vin – and all at a time when the entire industry faces significant challenges,” he said.
“Simplifying our business model in some areas, while allowing Thistledown to flourish on its own under Giles’ leadership, seemed like a win-win for us all.”
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