Peter Fraser, Yangarra Estate’s master of great Aussie grenache, first inspired Katie Spain to write about wine. For Australia’s tight-knit wine community, his loss is immense.
As the heavens opened up over McLaren Vale last week, rain intermingled with tears.
On Thursday, November 27, the South Australian wine region caught wind that Peter Fraser, renowned winemaker and general manager of Yangarra Estate was found dead at the scene of a fire at his home in Clarendon.
It hit our beautiful wine community in the heart. At 51, Pete, as friends knew him, was at the top of his winemaking game. It was too soon.
In moments like this, it’s not only important to reflect on a person’s achievements, but more importantly, the small moments that form the intricate jigsaw of who they were.
As achievements go, Pete had many, among them Winemaker of the Year and Halliday Australian Wine of the Year (twice). He was master of the art, but let’s get personal, because the best wine and wine stories are.
Pete was approachable, generous with his knowledge and with his humility.
The first real long-form wine feature I wrote for Australia’s Wine Business Magazine (WBM) was a profile on Pete in 2016. Walking the vineyards framing the biodynamic winery on the outskirts of Kangarilla was enlightening and refreshingly real.
Pete grew up on a chicken farm, fell in love with wine during Army Reserve training (simply while drinking it at the officer’s mess – an important reminder that even most of the greats begin with limited knowledge), and went on to study a bachelor of agricultural science (oenology) at the University of Adelaide’s Roseworthy campus. So stirring was the encounter, I decided to give wine writing a decent crack. Pete eventually became a friend, as he was to many.
When California-based Jackson Family Wines purchased Norman’s Clarendon vineyard in 2001 and renamed it Yangarra Estate, Pete was the obvious choice to keep the grenache flame burning.
Pete cared. When I broke my ankle and couldn’t make the impressive new Yangarra cellar door opening, he popped over with Salopian Inn dumplings for a tasting on my porch.
He was dedicated to capturing the legacy, integrity and legend of the High Sands Vineyard and the family that planted, nurtured, and stood by it – well before the vine pull of the 1980s to now.
Pete was gentle but ruthless in his pursuit of preserving and producing world-class Australian grenache. During October 2025, he and fellow grenache pioneers and peers Stephen Pannell (S. C. Pannell) and David Gleave MW travelled the nation to spruik McLaren Vale’s soil, sky and vines. It was honest and put our local drops up against (and above) the best in the world.
In the first week of November 2025, Pete was one of a line-up of mentors who led masterclasses during the acclaimed Len Evans Tutorial in Hunter Valley. We were honoured to learn from him.
Pete was gentle but ruthless in his pursuit of preserving and producing world-class Australian Grenache.
In 2023, Pete reached out. “Katie, can you come and interview Bernard Smart about what it was like in the lead-up to planting those vines?”
I agreed, but Bernard died one week before our scheduled chat. Pete didn’t give up. When the family was ready, I got the call again. “It’s time. Let’s go and talk to Bernard’s elderly wife Mary and son Wayne.”
That’s what we did; capturing grenache memories of yore over sandwiches, cups of tea, and faded photographs. He cared deeply, and I promise to bring that project to completion, Pete.
Ten days before Pete’s death, a small group of wine scribes were invited to Yangarra to taste 15 vintages of their flagship wine, Yangarra High Sands grenache. It was an earth-shattering tasting, in all the right ways.
Before perusing the wine in each glass, Pete drove us out to that special High Sands Vineyard, apologising for the dog hair and a child’s booster seat in the car. When we arrived at the vineyard, he scooped the precious dirt in his hands – joyous. Pete was happiest atop a horse, loved animals and nature, and wasn’t one for wine reviews.
Pete died before we had a chance to publish our response to that moving sensory High Sands vertical tasting experience. Possibly the best reviews of his life. The irony is tragic, but not so tragic as the friends and family left behind.
Each wine shimmered with energy, personality, and life. Bullets with butterfly wings. I was so moved by the tasting I couldn’t find the words so went home and painted. That’s where many of us sit now. Deeply moved by a man who gave so much to the world, but how to express it? That’s the beauty and the curse of wine.
They were possibly the best reviews of his life, but whether you met him or not, Pete Fraser will live on through the moments encountered with his creations. Let’s raise a glass of High Sands Grenache to one of a kind.
Peter Fraser, 51, was found dead at the scene of a fire at his home in Clarendon on 27 November 2025. Thoughts are with his family, friends, staff, and community.
Support is available, for those who may be distressed, by phoning Lifeline 13 11 14; beyondblue 1300 224 636; Kids Helpline 1800 551 800; Mensline 1300 789 978.
