PROFESSOR MIKE HAYES

Professor Mike Hayes (2012) is the youngest of nine children born and bred in Ballandean. Mike left school after completing year 10 to start chipping weeds in a vineyard in 1979. Mike has worked in all areas of the industry, wine-making, viticulture, marketing, researching and lecturing for over 40 years.
Mike completed his Fellowship in 2013, visiting 50 regions and looking for autochthonous varieties to battle climate change. Mike was the architect of The Vineyard of the Future Project. Mike is an Adjunct Professor at USQ and in 2017 was awarded the ASVO Australian Winemaker of the year, Mike’s motto is ‘never stop dreaming’.