Who Are We

Families brought together from a love of wine supported by a passionate and talented team.

Melick family: 2002 – 2025

Greg Melick AO SC and wife Michelle founded Pressing Matters in 2002, inspired by the potential of the neighbouring Morningside Vineyard to produce the noble European varieties of Riesling, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Cabernet. The first vintage was in 2006. Greg retired from the vineyard in 2025.

Hall family: 2019 – current

The opportunity to unite the Morningside vineyard with Pressing Matters saw the Hall family join the Melicks as partners in late 2019. Significant investment in a new winery, tasting room and general infrastructure and new plantings followed which is now carried on by the Fogarty-Hall partnership.

Fogarty family: 2025 – current

Peter Fogarty and his family have joined the Hall’s to form a new partnership to drive Pressing Matters future growth. Fogarty-Hall’s other Tasmanian vineyard interests include Clover Hill and OSSA vineyards.

Winemaking

Previously crafted by acclaimed winemaker Sam Connew, who departed in 2025 to focus on her own label, the wines are now in the hands of Jimmy Watson Award-winning winemaker Liam McElhinney. Liam brings an exceptional pedigree to Pressing Matters, having established himself as one of Tasmania’s most respected cool-climate winemakers through his work across both OSSA and Lowestoft.

Widely recognised for his precision, restraint and deep understanding of site expression, Liam’s winemaking philosophy aligns seamlessly with the Pressing Matters style — producing wines of purity, tension and elegance that reflect the unique terroir of the Coal River Valley. His experience crafting some of Tasmania’s most critically acclaimed Chardonnay and Pinot Noir ensures the continuation of the meticulous, Burgundian-inspired approach that has defined Pressing Matters from the beginning.

Under Liam’s guidance, the next chapter for Pressing Matters promises to build on the winery’s strong reputation while further refining the detail, structure and sophistication that have made the wines so highly regarded.