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Growing up in the wine-growing region of Mildura had a profound effect on Arthur O'Connor. As a 10 year-old he used to collect wine bottles to make his own "wine" and by the age of 15 he was working in a local winery during school holidays. By the time he started his winemaker training at South Australia's Roseworthy College, he already had three vintages under his belt.

After completing a Bachelor of Applied Science (Oenology and Viticulture), Arthur headed for the Upper Hunter Valley, New South Wales to become a winemaker for Rosemount Estate. He then started his international tour, completing vintages in Chianti and Santa Cruz, California before returning home to Australia to become a Winemaker and Viticultural Manager on the Mornington Peninsula.

In 1997 he moved again to California, becoming Viticultural Manager for Bonny Doon Vineyards. After five years in the United States doing winemaking, viticultural work and consulting, Arthur returned to Australia to become Seppelt Great Western Chief Winemaker.

For Arthur the highlight of moving to Seppelt Great Western was the opportunity to work with some of the best cool climate fruit in Australia, at one of the country's premiere wineries and with one of the best winery teams. "Nowhere else in the world offers the breadth of fruit we have coming into the Great Western Winery. Victoria has a great diversity of regions and climate, we take grapes from the Mornington Peninsula to Portland and Rutherglen and everything in between." Arthur is keenly aware that he's carrying on a tradition started in 1851 of producing "Grand Cru" quality Victorian Shiraz under the Seppelt label; a responsibility he doesn't take lightly.

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