The Proust Q&A: Lilian Carter

Lilian Carter is a consultant winemaker for Wang Zhong winery in Xinjiang, northwest China which produces award-winning Tiansai.  She was named as one of the 2015 Future Leaders for Australia’s wine industry and has appeared as a judge for the Ningxia Winemakers Challenge. Carter lives in Melbourne and travels to China throughout the year for Tiansai’s harvest and to help with the bottling and blending.  She talks to db about her biggest extravagance and serving Penfolds Grange at dinner.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Sunshine warming my back.

What is your greatest fear? 

Being caught in a bush fire. 

Which living person do you most admire?

Mum.

What is your greatest extravagance?

Long hot showers.

What is your current state of mind? 

Optimistic, with a touch of healthy skepticism.

What is the quality you most like in a man? 

Intelligence, warmth, and humour.

Who or what is the greatest love of your life?

Tea! My family can attest to that.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

Perhaps, or maybe, in reply when really I don’t agree.

When and where were you happiest?

In the present.

If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be?

To be able to operate at 110 per cent with less than 8 hours sleep.

Which talent would you most like to have?

Besides the teleportation super power, I would love to be musical and multilingual.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

It’s just around the corner.

Where would you most like to live?

My current situation is perfect – it incorporates the best of both worlds as I split my time between city life in Melbourne and beautiful Rutherglen, three hours northeast in Victoria.

What is your most treasured possession?

A few pieces of jewellery that have sentimental value.

What is your most marked characteristic?

Perseverance!

Who is your favourite writer?

At the moment, Peter Cary.

Who is your hero of fiction?

The Phantom but my brother is the bigger fan.

What is it that you most dislike?

Short term political policy

What is your greatest regret?

My grandmother told me regret is a wasted emotion.

What is your motto?

Don’t have regrets!

Who would be your ideal dinner party guests and what three wines would you serve?

Max Schubert, Samuel Wynn, and Jimmy Watson. I’d like to hear their stories and experiences about making and trading wine in mid 1900s Australia.

I would serve 2009 Tyrrells Hunter Valley Vat 1 Semillon, 2010 Penfolds Grange and All Saints Museum Muscat form Rutherglen and then I’d encourage some rowdy debate about the style of modern Australian wines.