Vininspo! Episode 49: Simon Osicka

I didn’t realise how off-the-beaten path the Osicka family vineyard was until I took the beaten path out of Heathcote and went off it for a considerable time before rolling into this vine-strewn refuge in the bush. The whole thing lulled me into profound contemplation: the sacred vault-like feel of the cellar, the lilting cadence of Simon’s voice, the subtle sustained notes of these wines. A bobbing procession of kangaroos conjured from the scrub woke me from my reverie on the dirt track back. Uprooted from far-flung Velké Bílovice, the Osicka name felt baked into the very soil of Graytown.Paul Osicka Wines was established in 1955 by the first Paul Osicka in this story: Simon’s grandfather Pavel, who fled Europe and settled in Australia. My first encounter with the wines came when Simon’s father was at the helm and before Simon joined him full-time in 2010. Paul Jr. died nine years later, and Simon and his partner in viticulture and in life, Alison Phillips, continue to carry the torch for this special place.I visited Simon after the curtain came down on a few days of judging at the Heathcote Wine Show. It was an enjoyable, eye-opening experience, and I was keen to bring Simon’s affinity with the region to the Vininspo! audience.Shiraz accounted for 49% of the Heathcote crush in 2025, and it is the main focus at Osicka. There’s also a long history of Cabernet Sauvignon, an exciting newer chapter with Grenache, some Riesling on the side and other stuff to come. Simon and I talk about all of these varieties and their place in the region’s tapestry.There’s plenty of insight on the lay of the land across Heathcote, a larger and more diverse region than many realise. Vines were first planted here in the 1850s, and Simon speaks of one Baptista Governa, an Italian immigrant who arrived in Nagambie in the 1870s and planted vines in Major’s Creek at Graytown some years later.In 2002, Heathcote became a recognised Geographical Indication, and these days there are around 40 wineries and 70 vineyards. The vineyards extend some 90km from north to south, with the northernmost sites beyond Colbinabbin and the southernmost around Tooborac. The latter sits on the cusp of the very cool Macedon Ranges, which favour Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The township of Heathcote is located in the southern third of the GI, and Graytown is 30km away on its eastern limit, over halfway to Nagambie.Based in Tooborac, Adam Foster of Syrahmi is name-checked as a ringleader of the Heathcote vignerons’ Shiraz benchmarking sessions. J.L. Chave, where Simon worked a formative harvest, Domaine Jamet, Yves Cuilleron, M. Chapoutier, Pierre Gonon, Pierre Gaillard and Stéphane Ogier are among Northern Rhône royalty referenced here.Tellurian winemaker Tobias Ansted, Will Dredge of Red Edge and Luke Lomax of Heathcote Estate and Devil’s Cave are among those who might attend those Syrah love-ins. All three of them helped out with stewarding at the show. Other Heathcote winemakers mentioned include Emily McNally, daughter of Jasper Hill founders Ron and Elva Laughton; Liam Anderson, son of Wild Duck Creek founder David Anderson; Mark Hunter at Sanguine; Ian Rathjen of Whistling Eagle; and the father-daughter duo Madeleine and Mario Marson of Vinea Marson.When talk turns to Cabernet Sauvignon, I mention the Cabernet Cartel tasting hosted by former Vininspo! podcast interviewees Rob Mann and Julian Langworthy. You can read more about in this piece, which includes the Clare icon Wendouree and the Ansted & Osicka Balgownie 1970 Block Cabernet Sauvignon, which Tobias and Simon make from a storied but imperilled vineyard planted by Stuart Anderson at Maiden Gully in Bendigo.Simon’s good friend Rob Mann of Corymbia also crops up in this story about the Marks family of Gembrook Hill. Andrew Marks is the third man in this cerebral, boundary-pushing circle of friends and he, too, is discussed in my conversation with Simon. Rob was also part of the crop of Hardys superstars and their mentors, all of whom have turned up before on this podcast: Peter Dawson, Tom Newton, Paul Lapsley, Ed Carr, Paul Carpenter, Alex Mackay, Mark O’Callaghan, Glenn Barry, Charlie Seppelt, Fran Austin, Ross Pamment and Larry Cherubino. Stephen Pannell (S.C. Pannell), Steve Flamsteed (Decades), Anna Flowerday (TWR) and Sue Bell (Bellwether) have all been guests on the podcast, and you can also read this profile of Kerri Thompson of Wines by KT.Back in Victoria, Jen Pfeiffer of Pfeiffer Wines in Rutherglen—best known for her spectacular fortified wines—was an exceptional chair of judges at the Heathcote Wine Show. A bottle of Tahbilk’s 1927 vines Marsanne sparked an interesting conversation at the judges’ dinner, and Alister Purbrick of Tahbilk, not far from Paul Osicka Wines, turns up towards the end of this conversation with Simon.Finally, you’re not expected to know what a quincunx is. It’s an arrangement of five things in a square or rectangle with one at each corner and one in the middle—think of the five pattern on dice. The Osickas discovered the planting configuration in the Handbook on Viticulture for Victoria, a practical manual prepared by the pioneering viticulturist François de Castella. The Grenache that inspired Simon was a Châteauneuf-du-Pape from Domaine de Marcoux, should you wish to seek it out. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit edmerrison.substack.com/subscribe