When a traveling surfer walked into the bar of a moonlighting winemaker, the meeting took them on a journey to follow their dreams that ultimately led them home.
Ben was working in a local bar, a break from his day job as winemaker at his family’s busy winery. Naomi was traveling the world surfing and had stopped in Margaret River temporarily; she headed out one night for a quick drink…
A few years later they were renting an old fibro shack on Yallingup Beach together, and saving to buy a small vineyard nearby. This was soon followed by a two-year sabbatical, culminating in a six-month van trip through the great wine estates and surf breaks of Europe.
Their travels greatly influenced vineyard philosophy, winemaking, surfing and ultimately their life. Deciding that home offered the best wine/wave balance, and where they could fulfill their dreams, they headed back.
Currently Naomi is a wine judge and studying towards her MW. When not tinkering at Blind Corner, Ben manages to surf at a level just above, in his words, ‘creative drowning’.