About us
Luda Mala. Croatian for “Crazy Little One”.
A term of endearment that was often thrown around the house by Ana’s parents when her and her sister were growing up, and it still rings true today – as parents of two young kids, running a small business and diving into life’s chaos – I think we all need to embrace a little bit of crazy to stay sane.
Taz. AKA – Weird Life Guy, Two Dads
I was drawn to winemaking early on and enrolled in a Bachelor of Oenology straight out of school — but when it came time to move to Adelaide, I got cold feet. Instead, I followed my mates to Brisbane and ended up with a Fine Arts degree (as you do), which kicked off a stint in the creative world of acting.
Eventually, I left the entertainment world behind for a detour through high finance and fisheries compliance — but it was a surf trip to WA that pulled me back to wine. I returned to study, completing a postgrad in Oenology at Curtin University, and jumped into vintages at Houghton and Faber in the Swan Valley.
From there, I convinced Ana to move to Margaret River, where I did a vintage at Woodlands before spending eight years making wine with Cherubino and Robert Oatley. That’s where I really honed my craft, working across a range of varieties, vineyards, and styles.
Making wine is the most diverse career one could imagine, it’s a unique blend of a myriad of disciplines, no two days are alike. We make wine to enjoy with family and friends and hopefully bring laughter in those times. We do it because we love it. That’s it. Simple stuff really.
Ana. AKA – Activity Ana, Muuuummmm
My early career was spent commercial diving for aquariums before enrolling in my Masters in Aquaculture. It was a short-lived Masters degree, deciding that snowboarding in Colorado was far more on brand. Upon returning to our sunny shores, I went back to uni to complete a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, which led me into agency life and later leading communications and marketing at a WA based environmental consultancy.
I’ve always had a love of wine and good food. Growing up in a Croatian family, there was always plenty of good food and wine on offer. Eating, sitting down for a meal, hanging with the cousins, that was life – from the early days of growing up in Western Sydney to now, it’s one of the things I cherish most.
So, fast forward a few years, to Taz and I in Croatia in a small village, where the old boy grew up – sipping on homemade gemišt (white wine mixed with sparkling water) - eating the greatest local food – broken English + Croatian conversations – absolutely living the dream. For me, this is Luda Mala.