Pete joined Balnaves in 1995 to design and oversee construction of the winery and take over winemaking.

In 2005 Pete was named the Qantas / Gourmet Traveller Winemaker of the Year. In 2008 Balnaves was James Halliday’s Winery of the Year. In 2015 Balnaves The Tally 2010 was poured at the New York Wine experience (the top 250 wineries in the world)

Pete is the lead author of the “Australian Winemaking” textbook Red Wine Chapter, along with Stephen Henschke, Fiona Donald, Corey Ryan and Nick Bulleid, published in 2013. 2018 will be Petes 30th vintage in Coonawarra and 38th vintage. Pete has judged at 37 Australian Wine Shows.

In 2018 Pete was named Australian Society of Viticulture & Oenology (ASVO) Winemaker of the Year. Pete retired in June 2020, but continues to work with JJ at Balnaves on a casual basis consulting.