NATILLIE JOHNSTON’S AWARD – WINNING ADVICE
WORDS Natillie Johnston | PHOTOGRAPHY Ashley Ludkin
We have long admired the incredibly talented Tillie Johnston; winner of the Top 50 Young Gun of Wine award four years in a row, and recipient of the People’s Choice Award in 2023. We are so pleased to finally have had the chance to speak to her about her winemaking process, her connection to the Yarra Valley, and what we can expect to see in the future.
Can you tell us a little about your background in winemaking and your journey to Tille J Wines?
Wine has always been a part of our family. Not because we own a vineyard or a winery, simply because there has always been a good bottle of wine at the dinner table. I found my way into the wine industry by proximity – growing up in the Yarra Valley and working casually at a number of cellar doors during my early twenties. It was only a matter of time before curiosity led me out into the production space and I never looked back after completing my first vintage with Coldstream Hills in 2012. Since then I have done some study with The University of Melbourne, travelled to New Zealand (Yealand and Frammingham), USA (Ponzi and Cristom), Canada (Ceadar Creek) and Germany (Keller) to expand my wine knowledge as well as completing vintages in Margaret River (Leeuwin Estate), Hunter Valley (Brokewood) and the Yarra Valley (Coldstream Hills, Helen’s Hill, Punt Road Wines, Giant Steps, Yarra Yering, TarraWarra).
I have always looked up to winemakers with side projects/ small wine labels without a cellar door and made it my goal to travel this road too one day. Tillie J Wines came to fruition in 2018 with the launch of the No.7 Healesville’s Young Winemaker Program. This turned out to be the perfect platform to begin my Tillie J Wines journey – I started with 2 tonnes of Pinot Noir.
Read the full article in 64 Summer 2025 here.
