Greenhouse Knight
About Greenhouse Knight
Led by CellarHand’s former long-time General Manager, Sam Hooper, and inner Melbourne hospo veteran and venue owner, Szebastiaan Butler, who have teamed up to create this eminently drinkable line of wines from the Yarra Valley. Taking on a true “Australiana” approach with wines such as ‘BourgonYA’ and ‘Straya’, these wines are not only delicious but also show a thoughtful use of winemaking techniques to match that drinkability with some thought-provoking touches. Greenhouse Knight sources fruit from growers across the Yarra Valley and are made with the help of good friend, Dominic Valentine (Valentine Wines).
About Sam Hooper & Szebastiaan Butler
Friends for almost two decades, Sam and Szebastiaan first set out to make Greenhouse Knight as a one-off and yet are on the cusp of bottling their eighth vintage. Sam was keen to get back into the production end to “keep his eye in” (having studied Viticulture and Winemaking and working numerous vintages) and Szebastiaan had an interest in seeing how his passion was crafted. They have leaned on the help, expertise and logistical know how of some of their close winemaking friends in the Yarra Valley to bring this project to life.
Growing up in a passionate wine loving family, and one that imported German Riesling, Bordeaux and Burgundy in the late 1970s and 1980s, Sam was always going to make a career in wine. Though he studied winemaking, it was in fine wine retail and wine list consulting that saw his early career take of before starting with importer and wholesaler CellarHand in the mid 2000s. Szebastiaan grew up in Tasmania and South Australia, before finding his calling in hospitality in Melbourne, working in some classic venues like Prince of Wales and Benito’s, before taking the plunge into venue ownership. Having set up and owned multiple venues in Melbourne’s ‘cool’ inner north, all with a focus on getting new and interesting wine to the punters at a good price, he and Sam teamed up to explore their love of all things vinous through their collaboration of Greenhouse Knight.