Meet The Team

At Pauletts, we’re all about family. In fact, we’ve been a family run business since 1983. Over the years, as we’ve grown and thrived, so has our team. We’d love you to meet them – they’re a great bunch.

MANAGING DIRECTOR

Ali Paulett

MANAGING DIRECTOR

“I hold my head up high when I walk down the street because I’m just so proud of our team and our wine and of everything that’s happening in the cellar door and Bush deVine.”

If there’s one word that sums up Ali, it’s passion. She’s passionate about her family, her team and Pauletts. And as head of marketing and sales, she funnels her passion into delivering the best possible experience for our clients, whether they be new visitors to the cellar door and restaurant or loyal members of Pauletts Exclusive Wine Club. Ali is also the driving force behind our award-winning restaurant winery Bush deVine and bush food garden.

Her team is her pride and joy. She really looks after them, even making each and every one a coffee in the mornings. “I love my team like my family, and in return they give me the best of themselves, and that’s reflected in our food and our service.”

OPERATIONS MANAGER

Matt Paulett

“We’ve been operating sustainably for nearly 40 years… we plan to keep that going for another 40 and then some.”

As Operations Manager, Matt is the proud custodian of the 88ha Pauletts has under vine, including 100-year-old Shiraz vines planted by the early Polish Hill River settlers. Matt has a real passion for the land and he makes it his responsibility to look after the natural ecosystem. He’s always looking for ways to innovate, and he’s proud to be continuing and developing the sustainable practices implemented by his dad, Neil. Pauletts hasn’t irrigated since the 1990s and Matt manages the vines so they thrive on regular rainfall.

Pauletts’ small batch philosophy is underpinned by sustainable practice at every stage of the winemaking process. As Matt explains, “We have tight control over the vineyards and the winemaking process, so we can retain that freshness from the vineyard and the very expressive juices that follow through into the finished product of the glasses around the table.”

  • Jarrad Steele

    SENIOR WINEMAKER

    “Getting the wine in the bottle at the optimum time allows the characteristics of the grape and the region to shine through.”

    Jarrad is an exciting young winemaker who embraces Pauletts’ philosophy of letting the fruit from the vine speak for itself. And he’s already making his mark.

    Jarrad brings over 13 years of experience to Pauletts. He’s worked at some of Clare Valley’s best wineries, including Kilikanoon and Leasingham Wines. He’s also chalked up some impressive international experience with Chateau Montelena Winery in the Napa Valley.

    Jarrad is committed to carrying on the family tradition of producing the fine regional wines Pauletts is known for, including of course our world-famous Rieslings.

  • Thomas Erkelenz

    HEAD CHEF

    “What excites me is finding new ways to utilise ingredients apart from the obvious… rely on good old-fashioned cookery techniques and your instincts to let the produce shine.”

    Head chef Thomas Erkelenz aka ‘Erky Thomas’ is the perfect fit for our award winning Bush deVine Winery Restaurant.

    We knew from the moment we met him (when he turned up armed with a full menu plan and ideas for a wine pairing) that he was the kind of chef who could take our vision of a bush food inspired menu to the next level. Tom is a classically trained chef who has worked at leading restaurants, both at home and abroad.

    He’s committed to family and his values gel perfectly with ours: he wants to make great food that people enjoy. “We want people to have a good time together. We want them to enjoy the wine and the food and just enjoy the experience.” We couldn’t agree more!

SALES AND MARKETING MANAGER

Belinda Pink

“I love my job. I love the team. I love what I do. I love the product and what it stands for. Quality runs from the vineyard, right through every vintage of Pauletts wines. Marketing the world’s best Riesling is a great job to have.”

Belinda was drawn to the family values at Pauletts and she joined the team in 2020.

She admits that the quality of Pauletts wine and the shared family values across the team makes it easy for her to do her job. This is a product she loves and believes in. It’s also easy to be part of a team that is much like a family. From the moment she stepped into Pauletts, she was warmly welcomed with open arms.

Belinda’s passion for good wine isn’t the only thing that she loves about the wine industry. “It’s the excitement of being part of an industry that is constantly evolving to new and greater heights. I love building relationships with customers and distributors. And Pauletts wine is an amazing product to sell.”