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Proust Q&A: Geoff Merrill
Geoff Merrill was born in 1953 and raised on a sheep farm in South Australia until he was 11 years old. The Merrill family then moved to the Barossa Valley where he formed his first links with the wine industry. Since 1988, Geoff has concentrated on the winery and has won the Jimmy Watson Trophy for the Geoff Merrill Reserve Shiraz 2004 at the 2005 Melbourne Wine Show and The Great Australian Shiraz Challenge with the 2002 Reserve Shiraz in 2006.
What’s your idea of perfect happiness?
A business with cash flow, a healthy family and an active sex life.
What is your greatest fear?
Dying.
Which living person do you most admire?
My dad.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Great Champagne.
What is your current state of mind?
A little p****d off, I missed too many easy putts just now.
What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Loyalty plus good teeth and small ankles.
Who or what is the greatest love of your life?
My family.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
No worries and all swear words but some I don’t use in front of women and children.
When and where were you happiest?
Eating and drinking great food and wine with friends at Thistle Island.
If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be?
Remove all stress.
Which talent would you most like to have?
To be a concert pianist.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
My contribution to the global wine industry.
Where would you most like to live?
I’m happy where I am, thanks.
What is your most treasured possession?
My family and friends.
What is your most marked characteristic?
My pronounced stomach.
Who is your favourite writer?
Tom Sharpe.
Who is your hero of fiction?
Barry Manilow.
What is it that you most dislike?
Under performing people who think that they are better than everyone else, snobs and w******.
What is your greatest regret?
That I didn’t play Test Cricket.
What is your motto?
Live life to the fullest.
Who would be your ideal dinner party guests and what three wines would you serve?
1961 Bin 60A Penfolds, Hermitage La Chapelle 1961 and 1945 Cheval Blanc just for Annie Taylor and I.
If I have to invite other people it would be Morgan Freeman, Tom Waits and Monica.