it appeared in Rioja, Spain (and eight years before being discovered in South Africa), illustrating the inevitable transmission of pests and diseases and the powerful impact of fast transport. Although not completely unexpected, the discovery of phylloxera shocked the colonial wine community. The reaction and immediate response by the colonial governments were draconian and destroyed the livelihoods of many producers, especially in Victoria. But the speedy response by the South Australian Government was visionary. Throughout the 1880s and 1890s there was massive investment in new vineyards, particularly in South Australia and the Rutherglen region of Victoria. An extraordinary pace of plantings took place at this time. Many of the original plantings in South Australia, mostly shiraz, grenache, mataro and cabernet sauvignon, have survived. This legacy is an extraordinary reflection of the leadership of the time. But there was not such a great track record in Victoria. And by the way, much of this vine stock material dates back to the early 19th century, when material was sourced by the likes of James Busby and Sir William Macarthur. This pre-phylloxera vine material is astonishingly valuable and represents a key pillar of our fine wine agenda. The combination of more rapid transport, new overseas telegraphic services (which meant faster ordering and information) and a new Anglo-Spanish Treaty, which saw tariffs greatly reduced for wines under 30° proof, kickstarted the industry and began a golden period of development and exports. The market for Australian Red Burgundy was aided by the health benefits of these ferruginous wines. Between 1880 and 1900, imports of Australian colonial wine into the United Kingdom grew from 155,000 litres to 3.8 million litres per year. From today’s perspective this is not an awful lot of wine – just a few weeks ago I was trial blending, with a winemaking team, a parcel of nearly one million litres of Sauvignon Blanc. But 120 years ago, everything was shipped by hogsheads and wine was hand bottled; the wine industry in Australia operated on a much smaller scale. For instance, our exports to the UK are around 264 million litres today. UK wine merchant Peter Bond Burgoyne, who first imported McLaren Vale’s Tintara with AC Kelly, was bringing about half of the export volume during these boom times of the late 1880s and early 1900 and dealing with several different wineries. The market for Australian Burgundy was phenomenal: Emu Burgundy, Keystone Burgundy and Tintara Burgundy became household names in England and there were many others. All of it was supplied by wineries like Penfolds, Seppelt, Thomas Hardy, Reynella, and Chateau Tanunda. Fortified wines also entered the UK market, as demand for Australian wine seemed like an endless opportunity. If you visit places like Chateau Reynella, Chateau Tanunda, Seppeltsfield, Penfolds Magill, Seppelt Great Western, All Saints Winery, the old Mount Ophir winery and many others, you can see that there was a vision for permanency during those times. Although most of the original equipment has rusted away or vanished, the technology and winemaking practices developed
Our Place in Wine 105
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