Mike & Callum Garland
Australia
Mike & Callum's Wines
- Australia
- 4 wines
- 3 styles
Father and son team, cool climate specialists in Great Southern and Victoria
Father, Mike (‘Babbo’), spent the last 14 vintages at Castelli Estate in Denmark, WA, creating wines like their ‘Il Liris’ Chardonnay that won Best White in the 2020 AND 2021 International Wine & Spirit Competition. He’s in demand with other leading WA wineries like Rockcliffe, Singlefile and Plantagenet too.
Mike’s son Callum (‘Mimmo’) is snapping eagerly at his heels - an up-and-coming winemaker in his own right. He’s already up to his ears in grape juice, learning the ropes from one of the real characters of the business in Geelong.
Now, thanks to the backing of thousands of appreciative Angels across Australia, they can come together to create outstanding cool climate wines from the juiciest vineyards in WA's Great Southern region, and Victoria. “That’s so precious and it wouldn’t have happened for many years without the Angels.” says Mike. That's why the wines are just for you.
Mike & Callum Garland's Story
You can only make the best wine from the best grapes, but it still takes years of experience and hard graft to turn them into top notch drops.
Mike’s got 25 years of it. And thanks to you and thousands of other Angels, we can give him the freedom to make it just for you!
He’s spent the last 14 vintages at Castelli Estate in Denmark, WA, creating wines like their ‘Il Liris’ Chardonnay that won Best White in the 2020 AND 2021 International Wine & Spirit Competition.
He’s in demand with other leading WA wineries like Rockcliffe, Singlefile and Plantagenet too. No wonder — he scored Halliday’s Best Chardonnay in Australia in 2017 with Singlefile’s 2015 Vivienne Chardonnay (a collaborative project). He even counts Naked stars Coby Ladwig and Paul Nelson as industry mates. In fact you have Paul to thank for the introduction!
He’s a recognised expert of the region and out to show off what his fabulous local fruit can do.
“We’re all about maintaining the honesty and integrity of the wine, not chasing trends,” he told us. “We do what does well in a cool climate and let the regional expression shine through.”
That’s a lot different from his last gig in the fashion industry — in the days before the wine bug bit and he swapped selling dresses for growing grapes and making wine.
But Mike is only half this Naked story.
Snapping eagerly at his heels, Mike’s son Callum is an up-and-coming winemaker in his own right. He’s already up to his ears in grape juice, learning the ropes from the legendary Ray Nadeson at Lethbridge Wines in Geelong.
Callum’s earliest memories were watching Dad roll barrels in the winery and crushing grapes beneath his feet.
As he grew up, he washed tanks and did odd bottling jobs for a few bucks here and there. But when it came to a career choice, one thing was for sure — he wasn’t going to be a winemaker!
You see, sometimes what makes you happy is right in front of you, so close you just can’t see it.
Turns out Callum just needed a change of scenery. Needing some cold hard cash, he took a job doing vintage at Rockcliffe winery in 2017. It was there between the barrels and the buckets that he found real joy and knew there could be no other path for him.
“I love the whole process of winemaking, from the pruning and care of the vines to the liquid in the bottle. It’s just fantastic. I’m falling in love with the vineyard most of all,” he says.
He flew to France the same year and made wine in northern Rhone. As soon as he got back on red earth, he hit the books and started a wine science degree. He’s now in Geelong, learning the ropes from one of the real characters of the business.
So with both men on their own wine journey, why do you think they got Naked?
“I see a lot of corporate wheeling and dealing in the wine industry,” Mike told me. “Hardworking small producers like us lose a lot of money just trying to compete.
“I love that Naked helps us make a decent living doing what we love and takes our wines to wine lovers who will give us direct feedback. You can’t get that anywhere else!
“But most of all it gives me an opportunity to make wine with my son. That’s so precious and it wouldn’t have happened for many years without the Angels.”
And if that doesn’t sum up what Naked is all about, I don’t know what does.
