THE AUSTRALIAN ARK – Federation to the Modern Era | 1900–1982
Penfolds was enjoying a substantial market share for its wines at this time, with almost every newspaper in the country advertising Penfolds, and its signage dominated the streets and pubs of Australia’s major cities. One observer remarked that Sydney might as well call itself Penfolds, such was the proliferation of advertising hoardings and merchandising. The Australian public was instructed, ‘Don’t hope for the best, but get it,’ and ‘Be never without Penfolds within’. But it was the sales of Penfolds Royal Reserve Port that dominated the Australian market. Typical messages included ‘Penfolds and Sydney – The two best ports in the world’ or ‘A Royal Reserve beats a royal flush’. It was around 1947, a few years after Penfolds’ centenary, that the slogan ‘Penfolds to evermore’ was first advertised. The UK, Canada, Malaya, Singapore, and a scattering of Pacific Islands were the main export countries for Penfolds ‘Sweet Red’ fortified ports. Penfolds also produced an array of table wines. Its clarets, burgundies, and sauternes won prizes and medals in Adelaide, Sydney, and the Empire contests in London and elsewhere.
‘To a 19 year old with a newly acquired Honours Diploma of Agriculture (including Oenology), the future looked bright enough, even though there was no immediate prospect of employment. The Great Depression was still with us and unemployment had reached a figure of 30%. The farmers were suffering too, with low prices, such as one shilling and eleven pence (ca 19 cents) per bushel of wheat, nine pence (c. 7½ cents) per pound for butterfat and seven pence (c. 6 cents) for a gallon (4.5 litres) of milk. I recall a dairy farmer’s remark that he had to produce two gallons (9 litres) of milk to pay for a nip of whisky and soda at the local hotel.’ – On the early 1930s period, Ray Beckwith, unpublished memoirs ‘Keeping Good Wine Good.’
Another conflict of sorts was also happening in the Barossa Valley. The Great Depression had badly damaged wine sales. The federal government responded by initiating the Commonwealth Wine Overseas Marketing Act of 1929, which enabled the establishment of the Australian Wine Board to control domestic and overseas sales. With sluggish progress, the Barossa Wine Growers Association discussed the problem. Among those present were Thomas Hardy, Hugo Gramp, Leslie Penfold Hyland, Sam Tolley, and Oscar Seppelt. Although fixed pricing had been established as a legal mechanism to protect growers, it was proposed that growers sell their grapes at a reduction of 30–40%. This was rejected by the minister of customs, even though this request was supported by the growers desperate for payment for their crop.
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