THE AUSTRALIAN ARK – Federation to the Modern Era | 1900–1982
Scottish physician and author of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle with his three children, June 1922. [Library of Congress LC-B2- 5766-11]
‘The product can be most excellent, but little or any ever reaches Europe, for it cannot overtake the local demand. The quality was good and purer than the corresponding wines in Europe – especially the champagnes, which seem to be devoid of that poison, whatever it may be, which has for a symptom a dry tongue with internal acidity, driving elderly gentlemen to whisky and soda.’ – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Wanderings of a Spiritualist: On the Warpath in Australia , 1920–1921
When Doyle and his family visited Penfolds at Magill, he was most impressed by the state-of-the-art champagne cellars. He wrote, ‘After viewing the number of times a bottle must be turned, a hundred at least, and the complex processes which lead up to the finished article, I will pay my wine bills in future with a better grace. The place was all polished wood and shining brass, like the fittings of a man-of- war, and a great impression of cleanliness and efficiency was left upon our minds. We only know the Australian wines at present by the rough article sold in flasks, but when the supply has increased, the world will learn that this country has some very different stuff in its cellars, and will try to transport it to their tables.’
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