Our People

Thistledown was founded by Master of Wine, Giles Cooke who had a vision for a more elegant, textural interpretation of Australian wine. Initial explorations resulted in access to many of the best vineyards, many of which were the previously unloved Old Vine Grenache. Incredible, historic fruit sources coupled with Giles' increasingly adept hands has quickly resulted in a reputation for being amongst the best in the country.

Narrating those stories to an increasingly attentive global audience is the responsibility of our small but hugely committed team

Giles Cooke MW

Founder and Winemaker

Giles has travelled the world buying wine and creating engaging new products. But something has always drawn him back to Australia, where much of his early travel in the wine trade was done. Having met Fergal over a beer on the evening before the Master of Wine 1st year course, there was a certain inevitability that they would, one day, make wine together.

As well as passing the MW exam at the first attempt, Giles has winemaking experience in Spain, California and Australia - along with extensive consulting to wineries on wine styles and packaging. A Grenache tragic, he's pretty much obsessed with bringing Australian Grenache to the world stage.

Giles Cooke MW

Founder, Winemaker & Proprietor

Prior to founding Thistledown, Giles travelled the world buying, selling and marketing wine while creating engaging new products.

Long the driving force and visionary behind Thistledown, Giles has used his global experience to to shine a new light on what makes South Australia special. A keen, natural cook, he believes that to make great wine, the understanding of your raw ingredients is vital - and to that effect he can be reliably found walking the vineyards, talking to the growers, every day in the run up to vintage

Splitting his time between Australia and the UK, Giles has his hands in most of the pies. Working with all the growers, running harvest, creating winemaking specs and packaging, he is not one to rest easily!

Fergal Tynan MW

Founder

Having kissed the blarney stone at an early age, Fergal's trajectory through wine has been hard and fast with extensive travel throughout Europe, South America and Australia. Like Giles, regular, long exposures to Australian wine have led to an enduring love for the wines, people and regions that, in the end, lured him into the actual making of it. Fergal became an MW in 2004.

Peter Leske

Winemaking Consultant

Peter is a well known face in Australian wine, having had a high profile career working for the likes of Nepenthe, Grosset and Domaine Dujac in Burgundy. In 2012, Pete bought back the old Nepenthe winery in Lenswood, Adelaide Hills and re-named it Revenir. Well equipped with all the toys needed to make brilliant small batch wine, this is the home for Thistledown and where Pete is based full time.

A brilliant winemaker, capable of juggling all manner of issues at harvest time and an all-round good egg, Pete is fundamental to the quality of what we make at Thistledown.

Paddy Gilhooly

Director of Sales & Co Proprietor

The combination of year backpacking in Australia in 2003, working for a Burgundy importer in Melbourne, then doing vintage in the beautiful Yarra Valley, inspired Paddy’s passion for a full time career in wine.

After holding various commercial wine sales roles and achieving his WSET Diploma, Paddy relocated to Australia in 2014 to work with Thistledown.

Since 2014, as Director of Sales and all around brand champion, Paddy has opened various markets internationally and increased Thistledown’s distribution in Australia.