In 1974 as Australia’s first qualified female winemaker, Pam went to Wynns Glenloth Winery in Reynella. She worked there until 1986. Pam learnt her practical winemaking skills working for Morgan Yeatman at Glenloth and her seminal academic education occurred when her employers, Wynns Winegrowers, agreed to her request to take a Masters Degree at Davis, University of California, where she studied with luminaries such as Vern Singleton and Roger Boulton in 1978-1979. Pam was part the Wynns White Winemaking team that embraced technological advances like night harvesting and yeast and bacteria selections. Glenloth received night harvested Riesling and Chardonnay from Coonawarra and Padthaway. The first harvests of Chardonnay in the South-East were in 1982 and received by Pam. Later, while consulting at Chapel Hill, Pam developed and refined the Chardonnay wine styles we love today with much of the fruit coming from Coonawarra and Padthaway. After Wynns, Pam gained a Churchill Scholarship which she spent in Champagne, France. Upon returning to Australia, she became a consultant. Her clients included Chapel Hill, Darguard and Jaegle, TAFE Catering school at Regency Park, Roseworthy College and Padthaway Estate. For the Partners at Padthaway Estate, she commissioned a woolshed winery with a reproduction Champagne press and convinced Ron Potter to make it. And to this day, it is the only one of its type in Australia. Pam’s stamp on the development of Australian Chardonnay styles, and the further development of traditional sparkling production techniques are marked permanently in the DNA of the wine regions of the Limestone Coast. Never one to stand still, in 2008 Pam embarked on a career change and commenced studies in Anthropology. However, the winemaking fraternity did not let her step away completely, and she continues to give generous guidance, inspiration and friendship to many young and older winemakers alike.
Pam Dunsford Trophy for Best Chardonnay
Past trophy winners
- 2024 — Landaire 2023 Chardonnay (sponsored by VAF Memstar)
- 2023 — Balnaves of Coonnawarra 2022 Chardonnay (sponsored by VAF Memstar)
- 2022 — 2021 Landaire Chardonnay (sponsored by VAF Memstar)
- 2021 — 2019 Family Selection Chardonnay (sponsored by VAF Memstar)
- 2019 — 2018 Brand’s Laira Blockers Chardonnay (sponsored by VA Filtration)
- 2018 — 2017 DiGiorgio Family Wines Coonawarra Chardonnay (sponsored by VA Filtration)
- 2017 — 2016 Blockers Chardonnay (sponsored by VA Filtration)
- 2016 — 2015 Balnaves Chardonnay (sponsored by VA Filtration)
- 2015 — 2013 Chardonnay (sponsored by VA Filtration)
- 2014 — 2013 Balnaves Chardonnay (sponsored by VA Filtration)
- 2013 — 2012 Rymill Chardonnay (sponsored by VA Filtration)
- 2012 — 2011 Chardonnay (sponsored by VA Filtration)
- 2011 — No award (sponsored by Air Liquide Australia Ltd)
- 2010 — 2008 Tolley Elite Chardonnay (sponsored by Air Liquide)
- 2009 — 2008 Punters Corner 2008 Single Vineyard Chardonnay (sponsored by Diverse Barrel Solutions)
- 2008 — 2007 Balnaves of Coonawarra Chardonnay (sponsored by Chardonnay Lodge)
- 2007 — Stonehaven Hidden Sea Chardonnay 2005
- 2006 — Balnaves of Coonawarra Chardonnay 2005
- 2005 — Balnaves of Coonawarra Chardonnay 2003
- 2004 — Balnaves of Coonawarra Chardonnay 2003
- 2003 — Jamiesons Run Limestone Coast Chardonnay 2003
- 2002 — Jacob’s Creek Premium Padthaway Chardonnay 2001
- 2001 — Jacob’s Creek Premium Padthaway Chardonnay 1998