Paige Cooper the chief winemaker of the brand Poppy The Frenchie has made her mark on the wine industry with her two specialty wines, the vegan Grenache and Grenache Rosé. Paige, also known as Paggy, has an eye for hand-picking the most flavorful grapes for her wine. She made her first Rosé in  2017 which made the list of Hot 100 Wines in South Australia.

Paige and her mother Julie share a love of dry style French Rosé and this passion turned into a company when Paggy requested to use the Grenache grapes on the vineyard to make a Rosé. They started the company out of their family-owned boutique vineyard in McLaren Vale after Paige received permission to use the vines by agreeing to make Poppy, the family dog, the face of the brand.

Paggy’s wine is handpicked, hand pruned and vegan. Certifying the wine vegan-friendly was done by using a fining agent that consists of a protein from potatoes, as opposed to others that commonly contain animal products such as egg whites, milk, fish or gelatine. Not only is this method animal-friendly, it also is kinder on the wine because it removes the harsh dryness and puckering sensation that occurs during grape skin contact. The brand’s ambassador Poppy sparked the initiative towards making the wines in a process where no animals are harmed.