Paddy Gilhooly

Patrick (Paddy) Gilhooly is co-owner of award-winning Thistledown Wines. Thistledown are maybe best known as one of the foremost producers of old vine Grenache in Australia.

After a brief stint studying physics in his native Edinburgh, Paddy's intro to wine was working in stores for the much loved, Oddbins retail. 

In 2004, while back packing in Australia, Paddy knew he had caught the wine bug!  Experiences working with a top importer, and retailer, of fine wines in Melbourne led to him working his first vintage at Yarra Valley's Punt Road, and thereafter the permanent leap into wine. 

Paddy moved back to the UK to undertake his WSET (Wine and Spirit Education Trust) Diploma, before moving on to various roles for fine wine importers. 

Since relocating to Australia to work for Thistledown in 2014 Paddy has established partnerships for Thistledown in over a dozen countries in Asia Pacific and the Middle East. Having first relocated to Melbourne, Paddy and his partner Laura, who also works for Thistledown, moved to Adelaide where they now live with their 2 young children.