Before the 1990s, whites consisted of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc Riesling & Semillon. Kevin McCarthy challenged the status quo and Pinot Gris & Grigio suddenly became flavour of the month.
Kevin arrived on the Mornington Peninsula with his wife Kathy in 1988 - with a baby, plenty of pioneering spirit and bravado.
Everyone thought they were mad when they started spruiking the virtues of Gris and Grigio.
Their first Gris was made in 1992, followed by a Grigio in 1993.
With the Gris / Grigio bug certainly getting a firm grip on Kevin and Kathy - the two visited Alsace in 1998 to see the spectrum of styles being made.
T'Gallant is the forefather of Gris and Grigio in Australia and Kevin continues to push white winemaking boundaries.
After Alsace - Kevin looked to North-East Italy and Slovenia, where skin contact in whites creates some eccentric styles - and Claudius is his Aussie version - made more like a red wine than a white - with time on skins adding tannins that are usually reserved for reds. Very interesting Kev!