The people behind Scarborough Wine Co.
Scarborough Wine Co. has always been a family business – we love keeping the focus small, and the hospitality we extend to cellar door visitors is extended to our staff members who keep the business buzzing.
Many members of Scarborough’s team have been with us for a long time, watching the business grow and chatting to visitors at our cellar doors, our restaurant partners and wine stores all over NSW. As we progress through our 30th year, we thought it would be fun to ask two of our team members about their experience at Scarborough and their memories of their time with us. Here, we chat with Danielle Codd, who has been working at our cellar door for 11 years, and Mark Stuckey, who has been our Sydney Sales Manager for 10 years.
Danielle Codd, Cellar Door
How long have you been working with Scarborough?
I started on 6 March 2006, just over 11 years.
How would you describe your time with this iconic Hunter Valley winery?
I’ve loved every moment. Things have certainly changed from when I first started working here. In the beginning I would serve each customer four wines. Now we have up to 14 wines to show customers when they visit. The Scarborough family has always made me feel like part of the family, which is why I keep coming back week after week!
What’s your best memory of working with Scarborough?
My best memory involves the annual trade tastings we did for many years at The Tilbury, meeting people who have come through our cellar door. But every day we enjoy a mix of new and familiar faces, no matter who it is we like to have fun and try to help people learn a little more about Scarborough. I also treasure the friendships I’ve made with Scarborough staff members over the 11 years I’ve worked here.
A few weeks ago, a customer asked me, ‘Are you part of the family, because when you talk you have this spark in your voice, I can tell you’re very passionate’. In my first weeks working with Merralea, I remember her saying to me 'I hope one day you have a glow when talking about Scarborough’. I've had that glow for a very long time but that one comment reminded me of one of the first shifts I did at Scarborough and how much I, and the business, have grown ever since!
What’s your funniest memory of visitors in the cellar door?
There are lots of pretty funny moments that happen daily at Scarborough, like the time Scrappy, the dog, was running around with a bunny in his mouth on the Easter weekend, just like he’d captured the Easter bunny. Or the lady who decided to change into a full bridal outfit after her wine tasting to complete a photo shoot in the vines. From memory, she did it two days in a row.
How do cellar door visitors react when they experience the full tasting experience with cheese and biscuits?
They’re blown away! Our unique tasting experience of offering visitors the chance to sit down and taste a flight of wines is completely different to any other in the Hunter Valley. The added extra of cheese and biscuits (which I have prepared my fair share of over 11 years) as a complimentary palate cleanser shows the amount of thought and detail that Ian and Merralea want to show customers at the cellar doors.
How’s the 30th year of Scarborough’s birthday panning out in the cellar door?
With different offers popping up monthly and loads of events happening (or about to happen), Scarborough’s 30th celebrations could not look better! We have monthly case specials, birthday discounts, wine dinners, a big 30th birthday celebration party, and the chance to Win a Private Picnic Party for you and 30 friends at Sydney’s Royal Botanical Garden. Don’t have 30 friends? Scarborough’s staff members are always more than happy to help you celebrate your prize!
Mark Stuckey, Sydney Sales Representative
How long have you been working with Scarborough?
Ten years! And it’s been a very colourful decade, that’s for sure.
How would you describe your time with this iconic Hunter Valley winery?
It's been fantastic! But working the 2008 vintage was a particularly challenging vintage and my first. I remember wondering 'how do they do this every year?'.
What’s your best memory of working with Scarborough?
Every vintage since 2008!
How is Scarborough perceived by restaurant owners and wine merchants?
Scarborough is recognised as a producer that consistently provides varietal flavours, ready to be enjoyed, as well as the structure needed at the dining table. Scarborough wine is the perfect food wine.
What does the future of Scarborough look like?
Strong. The second generation at Scarborough Wine, Sally and Jerome, has the same 'quality first' passion and desire to keep moving forward, as the founding generation, Ian and Merralea.
What is it that restaurant goers love so much about Scarborough wines?
Wines with flavour and structure that aren’t rushed to release – the Scarborough family have always thought carefully about cellaring the wines for a few years before release in order to offer the best drinking experience.
How is the 30th year of Scarborough’s birthday panning out?
Full on! In a good way, of course… just wait until we hit the next decade!