Ahearne Vino
Hailing originally from East London, Jo Ahearne studied winemaking in Australia in the early 1990s at Charles Sturt University, working through Charles Melton, Pipers Brook, Leasingham, Tintara and Bailey’s, and considers her winemaking background firmly Australian. She returned to Europe in 2003 and worked in a multitude of roles, including as a winemaker for Marks and Spencer, seeing her making and blending wine from around the globe. She was awarded her Master of Wine in 2008, set up a consultancy business in 2012, and with the ultimate view to make her own wine, set her sights on the island of Hvar, Croatia, in 2014.
The focus here is on local varieties and minimal intervention winemaking – “the grapes do the talking,” as Jo says. Fruit is sourced from good local growers, with varieties unique to Hvar the focus - some 90 indigenous varieties are found here. These include the almost extinct Darnekuša for the rosé, Bogdanuša, Kuc and Pošip for the whites, and Plavac Mali for the red.
The focus here is on local varieties and minimal intervention winemaking – “the grapes do the talking,” as Jo says. Fruit is sourced from good local growers, with varieties unique to Hvar the focus - some 90 indigenous varieties are found here. These include the almost extinct Darnekuša for the rosé, Bogdanuša, Kuc and Pošip for the whites, and Plavac Mali for the red.