About Mates Rates Wine

My name is Gavin Reid, proprietor of Mates Rates Wine since July 2010 & yes – that’s a cartoon likeness of me on the top right of every page. Like many of us, I’ve swapped and changed my working life, as well as location, finally discovering that running my own business is where I want to be. Before starting Mates Rates Wine, my working background has included (sometimes concurrently):

• Plant propagation and sales in a native plant nursery (Poonindie, in South Australia)
• Retail section manager in Mitre 10 hardware stores (Port Lincoln and Cleve, South Australia)
• Retail section manager in several supermarkets: Port Lincoln, South Australia, Yulara Resort at Ayers Rock/Uluru, Northern Territory and Port Douglas, Queensland.
• Professional fire fighter: Yulara Resort at Ayers Rock/Uluru, Northern Territory and Port Douglas, Queensland.
• Limousine chauffeur: Port Douglas, Queensland.
• Current proprietor of Tropical Coolers (see www.tropicalcoolers.com.au).

I’ve been an avid consumer of Australian wine since I was of legal drinking age, (way back in 1987) thanks initially to my brother & his wife, who did regular tasting trips to the Barossa & Clare Valleys. At a time when all my friends were drinking beer & nothing else, I discovered the pleasures of a full bodied red wine.

I’m now a frequent visitor to friends at McLaren Vale, & I’ve seen the harsh reality & heard the stories of a sometimes troubled industry. Grapes left on vines to rot, vines being ripped up, jobs & livelihoods being lost. I’m aware other great Australian grape growing areas are also suffering. It seems crazy to me that we’re importing vast quantities of wine, when the perfect equivalent (or in most cases a superior product) is grown & made right here. As well as patriotic reasons for supporting the wine industry in Australia, I have strong ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS as well. It just doesn’t make sense to add the extra strain on the earth’s precious resources & pump out extra pollutants by transporting wine thousands of kilometres from overseas to get here.

I’ve also been involved in the marketing of great, Australian made neoprene promotional products (including the iconic Australian invented stubby holder) since 1994 – at the time of writing, 17 years. Sadly, ever increasing amounts of the products that we make here are being imported, which puts the viability of my business & the jobs of the 22 people at the factory who supply me at risk. It also puts my ability to earn an income at risk, so I decided to start Mates Rates Wine as a ‘sister’ business. If you’d like to find out more about the business, please visit the BUSINESS ETHICS, & PRICING ETHICS pages.