Growing up in Western Australia, Tim's interest in wine was sparked at a young age by frequent summer holidays to the Margaret River wine region. This passion eventually saw him move to South Australia, where he completed an honours degree in winemaking at Adelaide University's Roseworthy Campus.
His first job out of university was with Southcorp, which as Tim puts it "was the best start to a winemaking career that anyone could ask for." His role as winemaker saw him make wines in regions as diverse as the Barossa Valley, Coonawarra, the Sunraysia and the Riverland. A rapid rise through the winemaking ranks soon saw him vested with the responsibility at the age of 25, of making Southcorp's ultra-premium white wines, including Penfolds Yattarna.
In 2001, Tim decided to follow his own path and began RockBare, focusing on Chardonnay and Shiraz from South Australia's McLaren Vale.
John Fordham From: The Sunday Telegraph January 16, 2011
TIM Burvill, one of an exciting new breed of winemakers to emerge in the past decade, hasn't looked back since he suddenly lost his job at Penfolds in an industry rationalisation.
Burvill had been going great guns at Penfolds' Nuriootpa winery, in the Barossa Valley, when the brand's parent, Southcorp, merged with Rosemount Estate in a $1.5 billion deal.
"I got the heave-ho virtually the next day - but, looking back, it provided me with an opportunity of a lifetime," he reflects from his cellar door at Hahndorf, in the Adelaide Hills.
***
