Our Founders
Itasca Wines was born from the serendipitous path-crossing of a well-traveled filmmaker and a sustainable agriculture expert. Meet our founders, Malcolm Walker and Simon Porter.
Over the last decade, Malcolm has directed and produced “Cellar Rats” – a wine TV series – which has seen him travel the world interviewing winemakers, including key figures in the growing UK wine industry.
Simon Porter has been working at Penn Croft Farm – where the winery is based – for over 40 years. In the last few years, he has been increasingly focusing on conservation agriculture – developing methods and practices designed to protect and preserve the natural world and especially the soil.
With a wealth of knowledge between them and a growing awareness of climate change issues, they realised they shared a vision for creating a sustainable winery, making wines from sustainably grown grapes – and using it as a platform to drive adoption of biodiverse viticulture.
Head Winemaker – Ben Smith
Ben Smith is a talented chap. We were over the moon when he joined the Itasca team in May 2020 as our Head Winemaker.
He’s spent the last few years consistently producing stunning, highly respected organic wines. He’s got Gold Medals and multiple accolades to his credit – and England’s only perfect 20/20 score for his 2018 Chardonnay made while Head Winemaker at Oxney Organic Estate.
With 14 vintages under his belt and experience working in wineries in New Zealand, Western Australia, Tasmania, Canada, The Alsace and Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Ben is an invaluable member of the team.
Assistant Winemaker – Sam Kozlowski
Growing up in suburban Maryland, moving to rural Somerset as a teenager – an idyllic transition that wouldn’t be out of place in a bestselling novel. In fact, this is the start of Sam Kozlowski’s journey towards working as Assistant Winemaker at Penn Croft.
So why winemaking? And why Crondall, Hampshire? Sam’s plans were fluid, he fell in love with the area, and his affection for the team was far too strong. So what was intended to be a six-month stop turned into a much longer stint as our Harvest Assistant Winemaker.
Sam’s introduction to wine began with an inexpensive bottle of Zind-Humbrecht Riesling that he discovered on a skiing holiday in France. This ‘sweet deal’ sparked his curiosity and surprised his palette too – a complex and intriguing wine with an overwhelming review of “delicious”.
Sam quickly fell down the rabbit hole and threw himself headfirst into winemaking, kicking off with a harvest in California. Somewhere in between a tank of Zinfandel skins and hosing down presses, he decided that this was the career he didn’t know he’d been looking for.
“It’s the perfect marriage of biology and chemistry, engineering and logistical thinking while engaging all of the senses. The wine industry is so rich in culture, history, and interesting personalities. Long gone are the days of sitting down at a computer and staring at engineering drawings for eight hours!”
What kind of drawings, you may ask? Sam’s previous career saw him working in aerospace engineering, and during this time, he was able to steal a few hours to complete his WSET Level 3 (when he was supposed to be writing his Master’s dissertation). The appetite for learning didn’t stop, and Sam’s seriousness for winemaking took him through Vinifera Euromaster’s MSc in Viticulture and Enology and some ‘hands-on’ research into Montpellier, Bordeaux and Geisenheim.
Inspired by the history of wine (particularly its modernisation and industrialisation), Sam looks forward to an industry coming to terms with changes around sustainability, climate and agriculture. From keeping a close eye on winemakers who are experimenting with indigenous grape varieties, to vineyards making bold steps forward to making wines that separate themselves from their contemporaries, we enjoy Sam’s view on the winemaking world and what it may become.
