Our People
Trevor Harch
Purple Palate Chairman
The inspiration and driving force behind purplepalate.com, Trevor formalised his passion for the Barossa when he acquired the historic Tanunda Cellars in 1999. Dubbed "The People's Palate" for his uncanny knack of identifying wines that will appeal to a solid core of wine enthusiasts, Trevor somehow finds time to manage a thriving Queensland construction company, oversee wine production at his historic Eden Valley vineyard and spice up many a party with his well-worn series of antics.
trevorh@evansharch.com.au
John Lehmann
Purple Palate Managing Director
A former New York crime reporter and editor-in-chief of The Bulletin magazine, John's 20-year journalism career has been taken over by his interest in fine wine. With a penchant for combining regular travel jaunts with pit stops at internationally famous restaurants, John treasures the inestimable joy of a long lunch.
john@purplepalate.com
Darren Davis
Purple Palate Brisbane Director
With a family history in the Victorian wine industry dating back to the 1860s, Darren heads up our Purple Palate operations in Brisbane. His contacts within the corporate landscape have been forged over many years hosting memorable premium wine tastings. He travels regularly around Australia, hosting events for between 15 to 1500 people, and is one of Australia's few Penfolds Grange specialists. He has a soft spot for the smaller, handcrafted wines from emerging producers and is contagious in his enthusiasm.
darrend@purplepalate.com
Darren Naylor
Purple Palate Sunshine Coast Director
A former triathlete champion, Darren now runs hard making sure Sunshine Coast wine lovers get a chance to sample the handcrafted gems sourced by the Purple Palate team from across Australia. A self-confessed Cabernet freak, Darren believes there's nothing better in life than a backyard barbie with friends and fabulous wine.
darrenn@purplepalate.com
Andrew Jones
Purple Palate Maleny Manager
With 15 years experience in hospitality and a passion for people, Andrew believes ‘Maleny is the greatest place to live.’ When he’s not playing his guitar or practicing martial arts, you’ll find Andrew enjoying the flavours and experiences that great wines can offer. He says, ‘wine is the joy of life, bottled to share.’
maleny@purplepalate.com.au
Chris Atkins
Tanunda Cellars Manager
With wine industry experience spanning more than two decades, Chris is held in the highest esteem within the Barossa winemaking fraternity. As manager of the historic Tanunda Cellars, Chris' loyalty to the region is as deep as a Barossa red. He limits himself to one glass of Penfolds Grange a year and answers to the nickname "Rembrandt" (if you say it loud enough!).
chris@tanundacellars.com.au
Elyssia Nelson
Purple Palate Marketing and Media Executive
Over ten years experience in the hospitality industry has fostered Elyssia's passion for food and wine. As a university student she would not touch a drop of red but now you can't keep her away from them! The need for a creative and diverse role has led Elyssia down the path of Marketing, Communications, Graphic Design and Web Development and on the weekends you can find her at the beach.
elyssia@purplepalate.com
Farley Wheildon
Purple Palate Queen Street Fine Wine Specialist
A Sydney boy, Farley has spent most of his time managing bars and restaurants both in Australia and in Chelsea, London, where he had the honour of selling more Bollinger than in any other licensed premises in the UK. Farley has affection for Italian wines and says he ‘loves the sheer sensual nature of Burgundies, much to the dismay of my wallet’.
brisbane@purplepalate.com
Jason JJ Smith
Bar Barossa's Head Chef
Our inspired kitchen king has been cooking in London, Europe and Brisbane for the past 20 years. JJ's philosophy is to create "simple, sexy, food", letting the flavours speak for themselves. At Bar Barossa, he focuses on matching his menu to the extensive wine list, showcasing the specialty meats, cheeses and other fine food sourced, often exclusively, from the Barossa's small artisan producers. When he's not cooking up a storm, JJ says he likes to "play golf badly".
info@barbarossa.com.au
Jeremy Pringle
Purple Palate Wine Tasting Specialist
Coming from a background of literary theory and philosophy, Jeremy overcame this handicap, and moved into the world of wine. He dabbled in the study of wine making before deciding that it would be far more pleasurable to just drink wine and write about it. He aims to be entertaining, educational and thought provoking in his writing. When his nose isn’t inside a glass or profound tome of knowledge, he spends his time honing his skills on his other great passion, his guitar. Don’t get him started on a discussion of matters vinous unless you have many hours available. He’s been known to disagree with himself just for the sake of the debate.
Megan Lehmann
Purple Palate Editor-at-Large
Megan developed her taste for big reds as a university student, struggling to scrap together enough money to buy the odd bottle of Nottage Hill. She refined her interest in wine during stints as a newspaper columnist and film critic at the Times of London and the New York Post. As Editor At Large of purplepalate.com, Megan now scours wine store shelves and internet wine sites for the latest developments in the world of wine.
megan_lehmann@bigpond.net
Sandy Godfrey
Bar Barossa Manager
Our charming manager at Bar Barossa, is an exciting young winemaker who grew up in Sydney but fell in love with the Barossa. Schooled in wine-making at the Adelaide University, Sandy learnt his craft at some of Australia's leading wineries including Henschke and Tim Adams Wines. Informative, articulate and generous of spirit, Sandy believes wine is made to be enjoyed.
sandy@barbarossa.com.au