Born & bred in South Australia – and best friends since 1982 – Bruce Blackwell and Peter Dixon have combined their friendship with their passion for Australian wine, and the result is 1982 – a series of premium fine wines which embody the dreams & passions of two lifelong friends.
Both come from families with many years experience in the Australian wine industry. Bruce has grown up under the mentorship of his father Stuart Blackwell, who is synonymous with the Barossa Valley wine region. And Peter has had a similar upbringing under the invaluable guidance of his grandfather John Pendrigh AM.
Bruce’s passion has always been wine & travel. Growing up at St. Hallett Wines, from a young age Bruce keenly watched his father – Stuart Blackwell – make the ferments that produced award-wining wines.
Bruce moved into the wine arena taking part in some 10 vintages across the globe including the US, Europe and Asia Pacific. Gaining valuable experience and insights, and increasing his love for world wine culture.
Bruce Blackwell
While gaining industry experience, Bruce completed two degrees in Marketing/Management & International Politics. He completed his second degree in Spanish at Universidad de Catolica in Santiago, Chile. Following university, Bruce relocated to the UK and ran a successful wine marketing and management consultancy service for several companies.
Returning to Australia, now with a long established and passionate career in wine sales, marketing & international business, Bruce has been to combine his global wine knowledge with his Barossa upbringing, and is in an unrivalled position to create & share unique insights & great wine from the Barossa Valley.
Peter Dixon’s grandfather – John Pendrigh – was a bit of a wine icon in his day. In fact, he was awarded an AM from the Australian Governor General for his influence on the wine industry in Australia. Safe to say, Peter has had some pretty big shoes to fill.
Peter’s career in wine began over 20 years ago with his role as the Regional Sales Manager with Constellation Wines (US). As he learned the ins and outs of the industry – along with the wine wisdom his Grandfather shared with him – he realised he had so much more to achieve.
Guided by this relentlessness and fearlessness in everything he set his mind to, Peter was given a golden opportunity to join leading premium global wine company, Treasury Wine Estates (TWE). Peter was there for over a decade, and successfully grew the Asian business.
Much like his grandfather saw potential in Australia’s wine industry, Peter also saw the untapped potential and tremendous opportunities for growth in Asia. Following his success at TWE, Peter joined Accolade Wines as the Managing Director of Asia and Global Travel Retail. He strategically built Accolade Wines’ commercial, premium and luxury brands, and partner capabilities, helping them become the leading New World wine company in the region.
Fast forward to 2024, Peter is perfectly positioned to use his influence, leadership skills, strong marketing & sales capabilities to drive results directly with key retailers and e-commerce partners and through his distribution partners. Peter says the key to success in this next exciting chapter is built around building trusted and resilient teams, and strong partnerships.
Peter Dixon
