Our People

Norm Doole (Co-owner)

Born and educated in Winnipeg, Canada, Norm Doole is having a very busy life.  During his time as Vice President National Bank of Canada (Asia) based in Japan, he visited McLaren Vale once too often.  He bumped into architect Drew Dowie in 1984, had him design a home on the Range, and by 1993 he was growing grapes in the revered vineyard he’d bought with his wife Jane on California Road.  Norm’s fruit is sought after by some highly glamorous names, but the best goes to DOWIE DOOLE.  Norm’s a Director of Boar’s Rock winery, a Board member of McLaren Vale Wine Industry Ltd, and Chairman of the Willunga Basin Water Co, a private business that supplies McLaren Vale vineyards with recycled water.

Drew Dowie (Co-owner)

Drew’s from a great Adelaide family that’s overloaded with artists, adventurers and intellectuals. He’s a partner in Angus + Dowie, an architectural firm specializing in winery design.  With his partner Lulu Lunn and their daughters, they live on their beautiful old Tintookie Vineyard at Blewitt Springs in the northern uplands of McLaren Vale.  Lulu’s the viti boss: she was Cellar Manager at Wirra Wirra Vineyards and spent years working with David Paxton, one of Australia’s most far-sighted viticulture consultants.

Leigh Gilligan (Co-owner & Managing Director)

Having graduated from Macquarie and Adelaide Universities, and done his time teaching secondary school, Leigh has managed national and international wine marketing and sales for thirty years. Having served long stints at Wirra Wirra Vineyards, McLaren Vale, and Rymill Winery, Coonawarra, he became a shareholder at Boar’s Rock winery and also manages DOWIE DOOLE on a day-to-day basis.  Leigh has the Old Rifle Range Vineyard in the foothills which produces dry-grown Shiraz.

Chris Thomas (Winemaker)

Chris is the newest member to the DOWIE DOOLE team having started with the company in July of 2011. However, he is not new to DOWIE DOOLE's wines as he has been involved with the company since 2008 while managing DOWIE DOOLE's processing account at Boar’s Rock. Chris graduated in Oenology from the University of Adelaide in 2003 and has a wealth of experience working for top wineries including Fox Creek and Serafino Wines in McLaren Vale and also abroad with Domaine Changarnier in Burgundy. Chris has won a host of awards for his winemaking including the Trophy for Best McLaren Vale Icon Red Wine at the 2010 McLaren Vale Wine Show for the 2007 Serafino “Sharktooth” Shiraz. He is also the chairperson for the McLaren Vale Wine Show Committee. Chris will be responsible for all DD winemaking and will be hitting the road to spread the DD story so expect to see him out and about in the trade soon!

After completing a Bachelor of Cultural Tourism, Nicole undertook cellar door roles in the Adelaide Hills.  In August 2006, Nicole began her career with DOWIE DOOLE and launched a new cellar door in McLaren Vale.  To keep herself out of trouble, she undertook a Masters in Wine Business at Adelaide University which she completed in 2009. During this time Nicole embarked on an overseas journey, living in the UK for nine months with her husband Paul and visited many of DOWIE DOOLE’s export markets.  They also ate and drank their way around many of Europe’s famous wine regions.  Nicole now looks after sales, marketing and events at the new DOWIE DOOLE Tasting Room. She is also a committee member of Wine Communicators of Australia.

 Lyn started her working life as a nurse and is ending it as an accountant.  Lyn commenced working for DOWIE DOOLE as our Administration Manager in September 2008.  Packed in her wine case was her Bachelor of Commerce, professional years in an accounting office and commercial experience working in the wine industry.  She likes pina coladas and getting caught in the rain.  She's not much into health foods but loves great McLaren Vale chenin!
 
Sami Gilligan (Viticulturist)

Sami has been managing vineyards in McLaren Vale for the past eleven years.  He lived and worked in Coonawarra for two years but has spent the rest of his life living in McLaren Vale.  He has undertaken vintages in Coonawarra, Hunter Valley, Sonoma Valley (California) and McLaren Vale.  Sami is a very hard man to get hold of!  Besides managing the DOWIE DOOLE vineyards he owns and manages a vineyard contracting business as well as a transport company.  He enjoys spending time with his wife Robyn and their two young boys Mali and Finn, who always keep him on his toes!

Lulu Lunn (Viticulturist)

Lulu has been working in the wine industry since 1982; firstly in the cellar and lab at Petaluma then at Wirra Wirra in the vineyard working for David Paxton.  During this time she had her two beautiful girls, Rosie and Lexi.  She retired briefly in 1993 after being bitten by a brown snake but then she and her husband Drew bought the Tintookie Vineyards in 1994 (home of our precious chenin grapes) and she has run it ever since.  Lulu also has a love for fine food and works part time in cheese making and retailing and owns and milks three goats daily for cheese.

Dave Gartelmann (Viticulturist)

Dave was born in the desert, grew up in the Adelaide Hills and started working in the wine industry in 1988 "while figuring out what to do with his life."  Since then he's worked in the US, NZ, South Africa and Italy. He has become increasingly focused on holistic/ minimal/ sustainable/ earth friendly and organic ways to farm as he looks deeper into the relationship between soil and plant health and truly great wines. Dave has managed Norm Doole's vineyards since 1999 but has known this piece of land for 21 years. He has also found the great wine regions of the world a perfect fit for his other loves… food and cycling. Dave finds the growing and making of food a constant fascination, nicely balanced by the many hours he spends on a bike. He was particularly chuffed to find out that he has recently qualified to become canon fodder at the world (that’s right... world) 24hr solo mountain bike championships in October... we feel a DD sponsorship coming on!