James Hillard
Winemaker - Hawke's Bay
James brings more than 20 years of winemaking know-how to Sileni, with experience spanning NSW, Italy, Gisborne, the Yarra Valley, and now Hawke’s Bay.
He cut his teeth with John Cassegrain in Australia and Ricci Curbastro in Franciacorta, making sparkling wine, before running the wine programme at Tairāwhiti Polytechnic and leading production at Indevin. James joined Sileni in 2022.
A long-time show judge with a steady hand in the cellar, he knows when to guide the process - and when to let the fruit do the work.