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‘A family winery is not just the wine in the bottle, it’s the soil under your fingernails, it’s storms and spring sunshine, tears and laughter, and customers who become family friends.’ – Isabel Campbell, Widow of Third-Generation Winemaker Allen Campbell
Families have been the traditional of Vineyards in Australia, as they have been throughout most of the world. Families nurture their vineyards and get the best of them, often against the odds. The passion they have for their ‘patches of dirt’ – their heart and soul – passes from one generation to the next, and you can taste it in their magnificent wines.
This book brings together the stories of twelve of the families who pioneered the Australian wine industry over generations. These are the household names of Australian wine, from the grand old dame Yalumba, founded in 1849, through to new blood Howard Park, founded in 1986. With more than 1200 years of winemaking experience between them, the families’ stories are as rich and varied as their produce: from Murray Tyrrell’s creative use of rockets to protect his vines from hail and the McWilliam’s shotgun-toting, boundary-setting family feud, to Bill Taylor’s tears at the chainsawing of his vines following a damning (but short-lived) public health warning about the dangers of red wine.
In Heart & Soul, you’ll discover the essence of Australian wine, from grape growing to dinner table, with all the characters and stories in between.
About the AFFW initiative v
Foreword ix
Introduction xiii
1 Beating the odds Yalumba 1
2 A magnificent obsession Tyrrell's Wines 35
3 Priceless heritage Tahbilk 63
4 The gardens of Eden Henschke 95
5 It's in our blood Campbells 117
6 Morning light McWilliam's 145
7 Celebrating diversity Brown Brothers 173
8 Deadly serious fun d'Arenberg 203
9 La tavola lunga De Bortoli Wines 225
10 More than a lifetime Jim Barry Wines 255
11 On the banks of the Wakefield Taylors 277
12 New blood Howard Park 301
Epilogue 323
Glossary 327
Acknowledgements 334
Credits 335
Index 337
Overview
‘A family winery is not just the wine in the bottle, it’s the soil under your fingernails, it’s storms and spring sunshine, tears and laughter, and customers who become family friends.’ – Isabel Campbell, Widow of Third-Generation Winemaker Allen Campbell
Families have been the traditional of Vineyards in Australia, as they have been throughout most of the world. Families nurture their vineyards and get the best of them, often against the odds. The passion they have for their ...