CHAPTER 13 | 1900s – Federation
the name given to it because three creeks run into one on the section. The land, however, proved to be unsuitable for winemaking, the limestone being too near the surface, and he abandoned it and started the now well-known Tintara vineyard, his reason for doing so being that he found Mr Manning, near there, had made some wine of great promise from the land now owned by Mr Walter Craven. Mr Henry Douglas of Happy Valley began about the same time to plant vines where the reservoir is now situated, and was the first man to break away from the idea that all land intended for vines had to be hand-trenched to a depth of 18 in., and he used the plough instead and found it a great success. The Clarendon Vineyard, now owned by Mr W.H. Gillard, was planted early in the 1840s by a company who imported most of their vines from Spain, one of the company being Mr Leigh, after whom Leigh Street, in Adelaide, was named. Near Adelaide the late Mr A.H. Davies had a small vineyard at Fulham, and from him I obtained my first Shiraz vines in 1853, and planted them at Bankside, on the River Torrens. The Auldana vineyard was started about the same time by Patrick Auld, and the Grange Vineyard by Dr. Penfold. I do not know for certain who was the first to plant vineyards north of Adelaide, but believe that the late Mr Salter, of Angaston, was one of the earliest. A small vineyard was planted at Tarawatta [sic], near Angaston, by the late Mr G.F. Angas, and it contained many good varieties of wine grapes from France and Spain. Mr Samuel Smith was also one of the early ones in that line at Yalumba, and from his knowledge of fermentation, got as a brewer of beer in England, he was able to turn out a good wine at his first attempts. I made my first wine at Bankside in 1858, and took some casks of it to England in 1859, and had the satisfaction of drinking it in 1883 on my second visit to the old country. From 1850 the industry began to make rapid strides and the land and climate north and south proved to be eminently adapted to the production of wine, and the Tintara Vineyard Company, with the late Dr A.C. Kelly as manager, started a business in London under the management of Mr P.B. Burgoyne, who, about the year 1878, began on his own account to import wine from several of our makers, and soon by his pluck and perseverance he made names for the Tintara and other wines in Great Britain. Previous to this, Mr Patrick Auld and others had made efforts to sell Australian wine in England, but without success. From that time the business of winemaking made great and steady advances, as the published figures show, until some two and a half million gallons were produced in 1894, and with the opening of inter-State trade, which enables our wines to go all over Australia duty free, an increasing trade in that and our pure grape brandy will continue. If I have omitted to name some of the early winegrowers in this imperfect sketch, I hope to be excused by them or their friends. – The Chronicle , Saturday, 22nd of April 1905, p. 8
37
Powered by FlippingBook