Matt Moran Named Pepperjack Ambassador as Wine Brand Turns 30

Pepperjack has appointed chef and restaurateur Matt Moran as brand ambassador, timing the signing to the Australian wine label's 30th anniversary.

The partnership anchors the brand's new Anything Goes campaign, which asks consumers to set aside conventional pairing rules — the mandated glass shape, the sanctioned vintage, the food-specific matches — and treat wine as an everyday table drink rather than an occasion reserved for ceremony.

Moran frames the move as a correction to how wine has been marketed. He says there is a persistent idea that wine has to be precious: the right glass, the right vintage, saved for the right occasion, or enjoyed only with particular foods.

"I don't buy into that, and that isn't reflected in the way Australians actually eat and drink today," says Moran. "That's exactly the thinking Pepperjack is going into their 30th anniversary with, and why it felt right to be involved."

What does the campaign deliver?

For operators and retailers, the value sits in content rather than product change. Moran and Pepperjack will share:

• approachable pairing ideas tied to everyday meals
• practical entertaining inspiration
• creative recipes designed to extend wine consumption across more occasions

"For me, this isn't about telling people what to drink. It's about backing the way people actually eat and drink, and showing that a good bottle of wine belongs at any occasion," says Moran.

Additional campaign material, including further recipes and pairing content, will roll out over the coming months.

A portfolio built beyond Shiraz

The campaign rests on a portfolio that senior winemaker Richard Mattner has widened considerably since joining Pepperjack in 2007. At that point the brand was known almost entirely for its Barossa Shiraz. Mattner now oversees a range that includes Rosé, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

That breadth matters commercially: a wider varietal lineup gives the "any food, any moment" positioning a wine to match it, and gives on-premise accounts more menu-flexible pour options at multiple price contexts.

Mattner guides what the brand calls its Made for Food philosophy — the conviction that great wine starts at the table and that varieties should be developed with food compatibility in mind, not the reverse.

"For a long time, food was matched to wine. What's exciting about Pepperjack is that we think about it the other way around, creating wines that are made to be enjoyed with food," says Mattner. "When I joined Pepperjack in 2007, the brand was best known for its Barossa Shiraz. Today, the range is far broader, but the philosophy stays the same: if the wine doesn't enhance the dining experience, it doesn't go in the bottle."

For a heritage label marking three decades, the Moran signing pairs a recognisable hospitality name with a deliberately informal message — a bet that removing pairing anxiety, not reinforcing expertise, is what drives wine sales in 2025.

Campaign photography is by Steven Woodburn.