Dudine graduated with a wine science degree from Charles Sturt University and has completed more than 20 vintages, including four in Europe – two in France, one in Italy, one in Austria. His first vintage came in 2006, and the shape of Alkimi began to form after a formative stint in Côte-Rôtie in 2013. “After coming back from the 2013 vintage in Côte-Rôtie, I began to believe I had what it took to put it all together,” he says. “It is harder than I ever imagined, but fun to be doing it.” The first Alkimi wines were made from the 2014 vintage, just months after returning from France. “My main vision is to feature high-quality wines from Rhône Valley varieties in the Yarra Valley,” he says. “Diversifying grape plantings in certain warmer parts of the Yarra Valley ensures the region stays relevant and progressive in an ever-changing climate.”
“My wines tend to not be as polished as some wines out there. So, while they are familiar, they have a few extra edges to them.”
The Rhône thread runs through everything, but the Yarra classics hold their own. Syrah and marsanne sit alongside chardonnay and pinot noir in the core range – the latter two benefiting from the cool Yarra climate that Dudine regards as “close to perfect” for both varieties. A grenache from Cambrian soils in Heathcote adds a further dimension. Across all of it, the winemaking remains technologically simple. “I prefer to sculpt wines using the magic of great sites, good picking decisions and very diligent winemaking,” he says. The No Additions range takes that restraint to its logical conclusion: not a drop of sulphur, not an additional input of any kind. All wines are un-fined, naturally stabilised and mostly unfiltered.
Growing Rhône varieties in the Yarra is not without its challenges. “If the season is on the cold side, the grapes have to hang for longer, which poses a risk for disease and low ripeness,” Dudine says. “If diligent vineyard management is not practiced, it will be a disaster. I have found best practice is to always be one step ahead of what the vineyard and the weather is doing to prevent any potential issues. I have learnt over the years to adapt my wines, wine styles and ambitions on the spot to make the best of any situation.” He regards himself as something of a risk-taker in winemaking – “calculated risks in pursuit of making better wine – some things work, some things don’t. I think due to some winemaking techniques, my wines tend to not be as polished as some wines out there. So, while they are familiar, they have a few extra edges to them.” Those edges, deliberately kept.
The vineyard work is where Dudine’s evolution has been most pronounced. He has now been farming small plots in the Yarra Valley for nine years, and two of those plots share a similar story: vineyards on the brink of being pulled out, rescued by Dudine and progressively restored. The first was a small syrah block in the Yarra – reworked vine by vine, farmed organically, now producing fruit with the potential to become a genuinely compelling single-vineyard red. “It was on the brink of being pulled out,” he says. “I have reworked every vine and I follow a number of organic practices, which means the ecology of the vineyard both below and above the ground is always improving.” The Wattle Grove Vineyard – home to the 30-plus-year-old unirrigated marsanne vines that produce the current flagship white – was the more recent restoration, with the main work focused below the ground. Organic farming practices have been introduced, soft pruning techniques based on the Poussard method – designed to maintain healthy sap flow and reduce large wounds that can introduce disease – have been adopted, and regenerative agriculture principles now frame every decision. “I have been adopting soft pruning techniques and have spent recent years learning about and living by regenerative farming,” he says. “That is to make the land and environment healthy and resilient indefinitely.” He also invites other growers and viticulturists to visit and exchange ideas. “I visit other vineyards and chat techniques with the growers, and I also invite people to visit my vineyard too.”
In 2025, two significant milestones shifted the business into a new phase. The lease of a dedicated factory space in the Yarra Valley gave Alkimi a permanent home for the first time – a place to make wine, store it, and host guests. “Having an official base for my business is a solid step forward,” says Dudine. And taking wholesale distribution back in-house across Victoria brought him face-to-face with buyers and customers in a way that has clarified both direction and relationships. “It’s been challenging yet very fulfilling,” he says. “Working directly with wholesale customers has given me new perspectives and helped solidify the direction I’m on.” That direction is increasingly focused: chardonnay, pinot noir, marsanne, sparkling and rosé as the core, with extended élevage – longer barrel ageing to build deeper, more complex characters in the wine – as the current preoccupation in the winery. An experimental freeze distillation project – freezing juice to remove ice, concentrating what remains into a potential dessert wine or something else entirely – continues quietly alongside the core work. Sparkling wine is back in production too, after a hiatus since 2022. “It is very exciting and I very much enjoy the whole process of making sparkling, especially considering the process is very hands on!”
The longer-term vision remains vivid. Regenerative farming on his own property. A cellar door and bar somewhere in the Yarra Valley for the tourists who already flock to the region. Export to the UK, the US and Europe. “Championing Rhône varieties in a changing climate,” as he puts it. One step at a time, but always with the destination in view.
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