Australian winemaker Simon Hackett has passed aged 73 after suffering a stroke, prompting tributes from across the global and UK wine trade.

A larger-than-life figure best known in the UK through Awin Barratt Siegel Wine Agencies (ABS), Hackett was the agency’s longest-standing producer and a familiar face to buyers and retailers over several decades.

He was born in the Barossa Valley and grew up next door to Saltram winery in Angaston, surrounded by winemaking heritage. He began his career aged just 18, learning his craft under Peter Lehmann at Saltram. He then went on to establish his own boutique winery in 1984 overlooking McLaren Vale.

Hackett’s wines quickly gained a following in export markets, particularly the UK, where his bold, characterful style resonated with consumers during the growth of Australian wine in the 1990s. His Old Vine Semillon and Old Vine Grenache became fixtures of Oddbins’ Australian range, helping to introduce UK drinkers to premium wines defined by regional character.

Michael Awin, managing partner of ABS Wine Agencies, said he had known Hackett for more than 40 years, first meeting him in the mid-1980s through Peter and Doug Lehmann. He described Hackett as a winemaker whose personality was inseparable from his wines.

“His laconic humour, joie de vivre and way with words made him a joy to be around,” Awin said. “He was a great winemaker when he could be bothered, but it was his personality that really shone through in his wines.”

Awin also remembered Hackett’s irreverent approach to the often overly technical side of wine.

Recalling a specific event, Awin said: “I vividly remember a prestigious tasting in London where a guest was pressing him with technical questions while the rest of the room was itching to taste. When asked what sort of soil he had in his vineyards, Simon paused and simply replied, ‘Brown’, to rapturous applause.”

Following the death of his long-term partner Deirdre in a fire at their winery in 2009, Hackett stepped back from the industry, though those who knew him say he retained the spark that made him such a popular figure.

He will be remembered across the UK wine trade as both a talented winemaker and a true original.