CHAPTER 16 | 1920s – Bountiful Years
It was typical for many wine families to combine other agricultural activities with viticulture, which spread the risk against unforeseen events, such as frost, flooding, disease, and economic blows. In the Hunter Valley, the Tyrrells were well-known graziers, whilst farming work took priority at Henschke in South Australia’s Eden Valley. In Victoria, John Francis Brown at Milawa had adopted a rather distinctive combination of viticulture and fat lamb production. In 1926, according to the 14th of August Weekly Times , Melbourne, the 35-acre Milawa Vineyard was producing roughly 300–400 gallons per acre, and attention was ‘given principally to the production of the Burgundy, hock, port and sherry types. For these, Mondeuse and brown Muscat are used, and the best white is that produced from the Riesling and Tokay varieties.’ In the winery, the ‘up-to-date and spacious cellar’ comprised 12 concrete vats and cask capacity for 30,000 gallons. The crushes and pumps were powered by a ‘6 HP [horsepower] oil machine’. Although Melbourne’s Weekly Times considered fat lamb production unique, mixed farming in Victoria was normal, and sheep farming at Château Tahbilk was an integral part of daily life. The property ran Lincoln–Merino cross-bred sheep for wool production. The magnificent 2,200-acre Château Tahbilk estate was sold to Reginald Purbrick in mid-1925. According to the Melbourne Argus , it had been held by the Bear family for nearly 70 years and was ‘regarded as one of the richest and best river frontage properties in Victoria’. At this time, the vineyard extended to roughly 150 acres. The property had been in decline for some time, but François de Castella wrote a report to the London-based Reginald Purbrick:
Dorrien Wine Cellars, Barossa Valley, South Australia 1926. [SLSA B-69038]
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