THE AUSTRALIAN ARK – Federation to the Modern Era | 1900–1982
By 1907, the Victorian wine industry was near collapse. Government interference had delayed a proven response to phylloxera by over a decade. Also, a massive bushfire around the old Jim Crow diggings – particularly Hepburn – saw many small vineyards destroyed, devasting the community. François de Castella, at the suggestion of influential vigneron Hans Irvine of Great Western fame, was once again appointed government viticulturalist and, the following year, was sent to Europe to investigate the industry’s response to phylloxera. De Castella’s observations were published in the Victorian Journal of the Department of Agriculture. He visited numerous places, including Rioja, where he took cuttings of tempranillo and brought them back to Australia. He also imported mondeuse, durif (petit syrah), rousette, picpoul, and many other varieties. ‘His tour also led to the introduction of cultures of flor yeasts for producing delicate, dry sherries of the fino type’, as noted in David Dunstan’s biography of de Castella in the Australian Dictionary of Biography. Soon after, he established the Rutherglen Viticultural Station, where he cultivated grapevines and rootstocks for Australian needs and developed field-grafting techniques. By 1917, the collection of vines consisted of 75 wine and 150 table grape varieties. This work was of immense importance to the Victorian wine industry. During the 1950s, through the assistance of winemaker Colin Preece and others, Dr John Middleton sourced pinot noir cuttings from Rutherglen. This material and other vinestock from Best’s nursery block was planted out at Mount Mary in 1971.
1908 TYRRELL’S JOHNNO’S VINEYARD Hunter Valley, New South Wales
This Federation-period vineyard was originally called the Long Flat Vineyard, but after the sale of the Long Flat brand, it was named after the much-loved fifth-generation Johnny Tyrrell. Planted to both semillon and shiraz on their own roots, this highly prized 2.79-hectare vineyard site is situated on alluvial sandy loams over limestone.
Lithograph of semmilon grape.
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