Andrew Caillard MW tells the tale(s) of how the first vines came to Australia.
Andrew Caillard MW shares some of the most revelatory findings from his two decades of research into the early history of Australian wine, highlighting the ambitious aspirations of the first generations of colonial producers and the precious vinestock inheritance helping to usher in a second golden age.
Ambitions that Australia could become “the France of the southern hemisphere” seemed fantastical to some observers, but there were early colonial vignerons and administrators who genuinely believed in such a future. Their energy and foresight shaped the fortunes of the Australian colonies. And while wine has never achieved the same level of wealth as wool, coal, and iron ore, it has always been near the center of influence and power.
When Captain Arthur Phillip, a naval officer of German descent, founded a penal colony in Sydney Cove in 1788, it led to a catastrophic clash of cultures. The indigenous communities suffered extensive losses due to the confiscation of their lands, reduced access to food, and outbreaks of diseases brought by Europeans. This period is also tied to the emergence and struggles of the Australian wine industry. While the initial winegrowers mostly received their land legally, unchecked expansion by grazers into New South Wales’ outskirts went largely unmanaged by colonial authorities.
In the 19th century, the Australian colonies were considered a potential treasure trove. Initially governed by rigid immigration laws, New South Wales began as a penal colony populated by convicts, officials, military staff, essential invited workers, or wealthy farmers. However, the advent of steam power, the gold rush, and growth in farming and industry drew plenty of free settlers dreaming of new opportunities. Simultaneously, a small-scale wine industry emerged amid the era’s challenges and excitements. A severe blow to European vineyards by phylloxera in the 1860s to ’70s provided an unexpected opportunity for Australian wine to flourish internationally, mainly in Britain and its territories.
The so-called first golden age of the Australian wine industry, which spanned from a modest start in the 1860s to a peak before World War I, was closely connected with the fortunes of the British Empire. Post World War I, fortified wine production was spurred by the Export Bounty Act of 1924, boosting the industry economically, albeit at the expense of Australia’s reputation for fine wines. It wasn’t until the mid-20th century that innovations and societal shifts led to the creation of iconic wines like Max Schubert’s Penfolds Grange Hermitage and the cultivation of exceptional white wines. The evolution of Australian wine throughout this century reflects broader socio-economic transformations.
Following Lieutenant James Cook’s exploration of Australia’s east coast in 1770, New South Wales was discovered to have a predominantly Mediterranean climate. Such knowledge led to careful planning for Sydney Cove’s settlement provisioning. The First Fleet, an assembly of a frigate, transport, and store ships, was meticulously loaded with “provisions, implements of agriculture, camp equipage, clothing for the convicts, baggage etc.” Sir Joseph Banks, a prominent botanist and confidant of King George III, acted as the unofficial minister of New South Wales in the early years of colonization. A man of substantial wealth and scientific curiosity, who had previously journeyed with Cook during his global voyage (1768–71), Banks’ unparalleled expertise in preparing long sea voyages deeply influenced the supply selections of the First Fleet. The shipped plant materials included a variety of shrubs, vines, citrus, fruit trees, vegetables, grains, and seeds, supplemented with hemp, flax, rhubarb, tobacco, maize, and even acorns.
In 18th century England, various sources were available for obtaining grapevines, such as the Croome Park in Worcestershire, owned by the 6th Earl of Coventry. The park’s collection consisted of plant species gathered between 1747 and 1809, including Black Frontignan, Black Burgundy (Black Cluster), Muscat of Alexandria, Syrian, and Black Hamburgh. This era saw the English aristocracy and gentry indulge in collecting exotic plant materials and constructing arboretums, glasshouses, orangeries, and vineries.
Notable grape varieties such as Small Black Cluster (Pinot Noir) and Black Cluster (Pinot Meunier) were typical in wall-gardens and possibly brought by initial convict fleets. By the late 18th century, a wine industry emerged in southern England, cultivating hardy grape varieties successfully at Charles Hamilton’s Painshill Vineyard in Surrey (referenced in James Clarke’s “A Most Cursed Hill: Painshill and the Beginnings of English Wine,” WFW 21, pp.80–85).
The First Fleet departed England in 1787, well-provisioned from the outset for various situations, including the initial introduction of grapevines sourced from His Majesty’s Gardens (Kew Gardens) and local nurseries during the first years of settlement.
At Cape Town, Captain Arthur Phillip received support from Scottish botanist Francis Masson, a notable plant collector under Sir Joseph Banks. It is very likely that the grape varieties they collected included Pontac, Steen (Chenin Blanc), Groendruif (Semillon), Hanepoot, and Muscadel, which were flourishing in the nearby Cape vineyards, like those farmed by convicts at Constantia.
Grapevines were initially planted near Sydney Cove, close to what is now the Botanic Gardens, coinciding with the building of the Government House. After a significant blight (anthracnose) outbreak in late 1788, Governor Phillip mandated the creation of a government farm in the more arable area of Rose Hill (Parramatta). Besides fruit trees, vegetables, and various cereals, about 2,000 grapevines were also cultivated.
The early batches of grapevine cuttings in New South Wales were linked to stopovers on the journey to Australia including Tenerife, Madeira, Rio de Janeiro, and Cape Town. Early settlers, largely novices in farming, also brought seeds and cuttings from England, though their endeavors were met with varying degrees of success. Verdelho, predominantly from Madeira, thrived around Sydney from the early days. Sweetwater, another early grape variety, was recognized later as the Sherry grape, or Palomino; also known as Listan Bianco in the Canary Islands.
Between 1788 and 1800, small vineyards appeared inland from Sydney Cove along the Parramatta River and its adjacent slopes, an area initially called the Eastern Farms (subsequently Ryde). However, as the number of settlers grew, tensions with the local First Nations people escalated, leading the New South Wales Corps to protect the valuable farmlands and crops from potential destruction.
In May 1791, Phillip Schaeffer, a German mercenary who had become one of the first free settlers, established a one-acre vineyard at Rose Hill, soon to be known as Parramatta. Arriving in 1790 with a background in farming, Schaeffer initially worked as a convict supervisor. By November of the same year, Marine Officer Watkin Tench noted the presence of 900 thriving vines. In 1795, Captain William Paterson reported to Sir Joseph Banks that Schaeffer had produced “ninety Gallons of wine in about two years.” It is also suggested that Schaeffer may have produced the colony’s first wine as early as 1792.
In 1793, Lieutenant John Macarthur, only 26 years old and a member of the New South Wales Corps, was appointed commandant of Parramatta and inspector of public works, giving him significant influence over the colony’s agricultural and economic affairs. During this period, he started a vineyard at Elizabeth Farm on the banks of the Parramatta River. Known for his ambitious nature and turbulent relations, Macarthur’s disputes included a duel with Paterson in 1800 and participation in the 1808 Rum Rebellion, both leading to his recall to England.
Despite Sir Joseph Banks’ efforts to block his influence, the Colonial Office in London favorably received John Macarthur’s agricultural propositions, awarding him 10,000 acres in southwest Sydney’s Cowpastures District for wool production, viticulture, and wine making. During a prolonged exile in London, almost ten years, Macarthur and his family connected with the British aristocracy and political elite. Cleared to return to New South Wales in 1815, he ventured to France with his sons, James and William, where they witnessed Napoleon’s return to Paris after escaping Elba.
John Macarthur and his sons moved onto Burgundy, where they gathered grapevine cuttings. When the political situation in France grew tense, they briefly relocated to Vevey, Switzerland. After the allied victory at Waterloo, they resumed their travels in the Rhône Valley and southern France, accompanied by a group of skilled vinedressers.
Upon their return to London, John Macarthur handed his assortment of vine cuttings to a local nurseryman for safekeeping while preparations were made for a convict ship, equipped with a specialized greenhouse, to transport them. These cuttings were eventually planted at the newly created plant nursery in Camden Park upon their arrival in Sydney in 1817. By 1820, when the first fruits emerged, it became apparent that much of the original vine-stock was not as collected. Most were varieties that were already present in New South Wales.
From 1788 to 1830, the grapevine cuttings in New South Wales were primarily limited to types cultivated in the Cape Colony, Atlantic islands, or England, which included Groendruiff (Semillon), Pontac (Teinturier), Muscadelle, Verdelho, Palomino, Black Cluster (Pinot Meunier), Little Black Cluster (Pinot Noir), Black Hamburgh, and Sweetwater.
Sweetwater, particularly introduced by John Macarthur in 1817, was thought to have come from France, but given the significant mix-ups, its origins might have been England, where it was readily accessible. An instance is Stillward’s Sweetwater—named after Mr. Stillward of the Barley Mow Tavern in Turnham Green, near Chiswick—which was introduced to England in the early 1800s. The Turnham Green area, part of Middlesex, a market garden for London, was leased to the Royal Horticultural Society in 1821. However, there were possible errors as Sweetwater, also known as Chasselas at times, appeared to have a dual origin during the period.
Gentleman farmer and explorer Gregory Blaxland, while working at Brush Farm, discovered that the Little Black Cluster (Pinot Noir) was the least prone to anthracnose, commonly referred to as “blight.” Between 1816 and 1818, he established a vineyard consisting of this resilient variety and others. Blaxland also authored A Statement on the Progress of the Culture of the Vine in 1819, the first Australian dissertation on viticulture, in which he detailed the impacts of anthracnose.
In 1822, Blaxland sent two barrels of red wine, totaling 86 gallons, to the Royal Society of the Arts, Manufactures and Commerce for assessment. This resulted in Australian wine being awarded its first “international” medal. Winning a Silver Ceres Medal in 1823, likely for the 1821 vintage, and a Gold Ceres Medal in 1828, thought to be for the 1826 vintage, highlighted New South Wales and underscored the colony’s endeavors.
In the early 1820s, Australian colonial wine was a rarity. Cape Colony wine was imported regularly and post-1815, ships from France carrying regional wines arrived more frequently. An example saw the brig Jeune Ferdinand carrying “a few dozen cases of superior long cork Chateau Margaux, & Haut briant [sic] claret.” In New South Wales, challenges like blight affected harvests and stalled progress. Improvements in equipment and growing numbers of adept farmers supported new agricultural aspirations, leading to the opening up of Hunter Valley to free settlers by around 1823. Coastal shipping facilitated the rise of new farms and vineyards.
The need for vine cuttings and other planting materials provided chances for colonial nurserymen. Significant among them was Thomas Shepherd, whose Darling Nursery provisioned Sydney’s affluent with vines, shrubs, and trees. Around 1825, Shepherd discovered a notably “juicy and richly flavoured grape” in a Pyrmont garden. After propagating these cuttings and distributing them in large quantities to areas like Irrawang and Raymond Terrace, this variety became known locally as Shepherd’s Riesling and later recognized as Hunter Valley Riesling. By the 1940s, this was classified as Semillon, although it wasn’t labeled by its true varietal name until the 1980s. The Hunter Valley Semillon traces its origins to Shepherd’s 1820s cuttings, likely imported as early as the 1790s.
James Busby, a pivotal figure in Australia’s wine history, arrived in New South Wales in 1824. Often called the father of Australian wine, Busby authored the colony’s first locally published wine guide, A Treatise on the Culture of the Vine and the Art of Making Wine in 1825, much of which was adapted from Jean-Antoine Chaptal’s work. Despite criticism for its lack of local relevance, his Manual of Plain Directions for Planting and Cultivating Vineyards and for Making Wine in New South Wales in 1830 was better received. Busby distributed 20,000 cuttings to 50 growers including notable figures and locations, remarkably influencing viticulture before his departure in 1832 for a governmental role in New Zealand.
The 1824 Camden Park Red Burgundy is heralded in an 1857 edition of Sydney’s Empire newspaper as a top-quality colonial wine, described as the “most perfect of all known wines.” This reflected the high aspirations held by early settlers like Sir John Jamison at Regentville Estate. The drive for a flourishing wine industry was evident as early as 1829, when grapevine cuttings from notable figures such as Gregory Blaxland and William Macarthur were transported to the Swan River Colony in Western Australia, predating the establishment of South Australia by seven years.
By 1830, there was a growing consensus among nurserymen and vignerons in New South Wales that a greater variety of vine stock should be available to settlers. In response, James Busby visited France and Spain in 1831, a trip partly funded by the Macarthurs of Camden Nurseries, to gather a diverse selection of vine cuttings. After advocating for his career prospects in London, Busby returned from his tour with notable success.
James Busby successfully gathered over 600 grapevine varieties, including 437 from Montpellier Botanical Gardens in France, 133 from the French National Collection at Luxembourg Garden in Paris, and 44 from Syon House near Kew, London. Unfortunately, a further collection from Spain was lost at sea, which could have significantly impacted the wine industry in New South Wales had it survived the journey.
The official tally showed that 362 healthy cuttings arrived in Sydney, but this was contradicted by a March 12, 1834 report in the Government Gazette which counted 543 varieties initially with only 334 surviving. These cuttings were distributed among the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney, Busby’s own estate Kirkton in the Hunter Valley, and the Macarthurs’ Camden Park.
Busby’s collection was notable for its variety, featuring types such as Pinot Noir, Shiraz, Mataro, Grenache, Carignan, Pinot Gris, and Chardonnay. Early colonial winegrowers soon benefitted from access to these improved varieties, which enhanced the quality of their wine productions. Despite the thorough compilation by Busby by 1834, figures like William Macarthur and Thomas Shepherd felt more varieties were needed. During the 1830s, although German hock and Bordeaux clarets were favored in Britain, the specific grapes used in these wines were not readily available. At Macarthur’s request, grape cuttings from Bordeaux including Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Semillon, and Sauvignon Blanc were acquired through Barton & Guestier and planted at Camden Nurseries in New South Wales in 1837 for future distribution.
In 1838, Riesling vine cuttings reached Camden Park, alongside German vine dressers recruited from the renowned Marcobrunner vineyard, by Macarthur’s brother Edward. By the 1840s, Camden Nurseries had become vital in supplying vine stock, especially in South Australia. Notable families such as Gilbert, Penfold, Reynell, Smith, and Hardy procured their vine stock from Macarthur, and cuttings were sent to places like Port Phillip District and Yering Station. In the Hunter Valley, local vine-growers also sold grapevine cuttings as a form of supplemental income.
However, other importations also played a role. In October 1841, a vast array of 57,200 vine cuttings arrived from Cape Colony, containing varieties like Madeira (Semillon), Frontignac, Pontac, and Stein (Chenin Blanc). Due to late arrival in the growing season, the distribution of these cuttings in December 1841 met limited success. Still, it’s purported that surviving 1850s plantings in Barossa Valley may trace back to this consignment. Additional consignments were brought by settlers such as Mary and Dr Christopher Penfold during their 1844 voyage to South Australia, which included Spanish vine cuttings intended for William Leigh’s estate in Clarendon.
As Australian colonial wines gained local market prestige, the reputation of Cape Colony wines saw a decline during the 1830s and 1840s, criticized for lackadaisical production practices. By the late 1850s, prominent Australian winemakers were on the lookout for superior vine cuttings, echoing a need similarly felt by Cape Colony, which was in search of new vine material. In 1861, Dr AC Kelly remarked on dismissing the inferior varieties previously sourced from Cape of Good Hope as fortunate progress.
The gold rush and fabulous agricultural wealth made Australia the most exciting place on Earth during the latter half of the 19th century and early 20th century. New methods of mass production allowed winemakers to scale up, with dazzling results. By the early 1860s, Western Australia’s wine industry was also beginning to expand in response to a growing local market and export opportunities. Plantings of classical European varieties were seen as a key to making traditional wine styles. Charles Ferguson, the owner of Houghton’s in the Swan Valley, claimed the vines first planted on his property in the 1860s were sourced from Leschenault and South Australia. A letter by Mr William Burges, a prominent early settler and pastoralist, published by Perth’s Inquirer and Commercial News in 1862, suggests that Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec were first brought into Perth from Sydney by a “Mr Chauncey.” This is possibly Western Australia’s assistant surveyor Philip Lamothe Snell Chauncy, who resigned his position and moved to Victoria in 1853. The spectacularly successful Houghton clone of Cabernet Sauvignon, widely planted in Margaret River and the Great Southern, is probably related to this pre-phylloxera germplasm.
By the 1860s and ’70s, there was a thriving colonial wine industry, with each jurisdiction enjoying a golden period. This was helped by an influx of settlers, the New South Wales and Victorian gold rushes, and the expansion of settled areas, especially around Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, and Perth. It was also a period of rapid growth and industrial empowerment. The steam age—both rail and shipping—had allowed wineries to gear up production, and export markets were opening up. A steady flow of bulk ferruginous red wines, based primarily on Shiraz, Mataro, and Grenache from the Southern Vales, Barossa Valley, and Clare Valley (and later Rutherglen in northeast Victoria), were increasingly being shipped to the UK market, and this would continue for decades.
The formal discovery of phylloxera in 1877 at Fyansford in the Geelong District of Victoria was calamitous at first. It resulted in a scorched-earth policy—a strict implementation of quarantine regulations to mitigate the spread of the dreaded pest. Many important early colonial vineyards were pulled up, and these efforts did slow the progress of phylloxera in Victoria. Meanwhile, South Australia’s quarantine regulations, first introduced in 1875 and subsequently strengthened, have powerfully protected the wine industry. With the largest acreage of 19th- and early 20th-century Vitis vinifera vineyards in the world, there is no other place that has such a profound living connection to the Victorian and Edwardian age.
By the late 1890s, South Australia had overtaken Victoria’s wine production for the first time. While not intentional, the removal of cross-border duties and taxes after Federation in 1901 intensified competition and increased South Australia’s market share in the eastern states. The arrival of phylloxera in Rutherglen in 1899 (the same year as in Rioja, Spain) sharpened agricultural policy, with the Victorian government playing a more active role in overcoming the disaster. The region had become an important source for ferruginous dry red wines, and significant capital investment had followed. But dwindling production and the need to plant on American rootstocks required action. A massive new importation of vine-stock material, collected by Victoria’s state viticulturist Francois de Castella, arrived in 1908. Grape varieties included Mondeuse, Durif (Petite Syrah), Cinsault (also known as Blue Imperial or Oeillade), Tempranillo, Graciano, Malbec, Merlot, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc. De Castella was instrumental in overseeing the revival of viticulture in northeast Victoria and the return to pre-phylloxera production by the 1920s.
Australia is renowned for its stringent biosecurity regulations. Despite these, various states have permitted the import of grapevine cuttings since the aftermath of World War II to enrich their germplasm collections. This practice kicked off in the late 1950s and has persisted over the years. Noteworthy imports include the P58 Chardonnay by Penfolds and the Gingin clone from Western Australia, both introduced in the late 1950s. From the 1970s onwards, several new French clones were brought into Australia, often entangled with complex intellectual property and licensing issues.
The renowned 1971 Tyrell’s Vat 47 Pinot Chardonnay is often celebrated as a pivotal release, yet it wasn’t the first Chardonnay varietal bottled in Australia. The tale of Chardonnay in Australia dates back to James Busby’s 1832 introductions. These grapevines were planted in the Hunter Valley and around Sydney, including Kaluna Vineyard at Smithfield, previously home to the Male Orphan School. In the 1930s, Colin Laraghy distributed cuttings to Mudgee, the Hunter Valley, and irrigation regions. Tyrrell’s HVD Vineyard, established in 1908, houses the oldest Chardonnay vines known to survive in Australia, likely originating from Kirkton. Materials at Brian Croser’s Tiers Vineyard may also connect genetically to this early importation. Gene sequencing suggests some of Croser’s initial Chardonnay plantings might have been illicitly brought into South Australia, unbeknownst to him. The origins of the Gingin clone can be traced to Armstrong Vineyard in California, developed by UC Davis in the 1930s, believed to derive from French grapevine cuttings brought to California in 1888 from Meursault budwood.
Kirkton Vineyard was a crucial provider of vine-stock material for new vineyards across the Hunter Valley during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Although the vineyard was dismantled in 1930, winemaker Maurice O’Shea of Mount Pleasant Vineyard preserved Pinot Noir cuttings from its 1832 plantation in 1921. These underpinned many celebrated Mount Pleasant Pinot Hermitage wines during the 1930s and ’40s. In the 1960s, cuttings from Mount Pleasant were taken by New South Wales’s state viticulturist Graham Gregory for the CSIRO at Merbein, Victoria. Following selection, these vines were propagated and launched commercially in 1974 as MV4, MV5, and MV6. MV6, in particular, has thrived, especially near Melbourne. The lineage of these vines is closely linked to the cuttings taken from Monsieur Jules Ouvrard in 1831, who once owned the extensive Clos Vougeot before its subdivision post-1880 and also owned the nearby Romanée-Conti vineyard.
The Shiraz variety has displayed remarkable adaptability to Australian conditions. Busby’s 1832 importation, followed by selections from high-performing old vines and cultivation in commercial nurseries, is widely acknowledged as the genetic bedrock of many of Australia’s Shiraz vineyards, chiefly in South Australia and New South Wales. The initial cuttings came from a Monsieur Machon, an Irish-descendent who owned a vineyard in Hermitage destroyed by phylloxera in 1887. Additionally, Busby also sourced Shiraz cuttings in Languedoc-Roussillon, adding to the genetic diversity.
Before the implementation of strict quarantine measures around 1875, Shiraz vines were imported into various regions, including through intercolonial trade, making the exact origins of some vines unclear. Notable early vineyards in Victoria, such as the 1860-planted Tahbilk and 1866-planted Best’s, potentially had different sources. In the 1970s, Shiraz cuttings from Tahbilk were acquired by the Nuriootpa Viticultural Research Station under rigorous quarantine for study and propagation. These cuttings, known as the Tahbilk clone, are noted for their robustness and have thrived in regions like the Barossa Valley. Shiraz has been remarkably adaptable to the Australian climate, with continued selections enhancing the quality of this varietal. This progress is highlighted by Prue Henschke’s management of the esteemed Hill of Grace and Mount Edelstone Vineyards in the Eden Valley.
South Australia is home to the world’s oldest surviving Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards including the Barossa Valley’s 1888 Penfolds Block 42 and others from the late 1890s, yet this grape wasn’t broadly cultivated in Australia until the 1960s despite earlier introduction attempts in the Yarra Valley, the Coonawarra Fruit Colony, and the Swan Valley throughout the 19th century. The prominent Cabernet Sauvignon clones SA125 and SA126, sourced from the pre-phylloxera vines at Seppelt’s Dorrien Vineyard in the Barossa Valley—though these vines were removed in the 1990s—have origins potentially dating back to the mid-19th century. These clones share similar physical traits and were widely propagated in regions like Mudgee.
The Reynell Selection Cabernet Sauvignon derives from early 20th-century selections by Carew Reynell and likely traces back to William Macarthur’s 1837 importations. In 1845, John Reynell procured vine cuttings including Cabernet Sauvignon from Macarthur, who valued them highly. Although the original Reynella vineyards have succumbed to urban development, their legacy continues particularly in McLaren Vale and Coonawarra through the preservation of this genetic stock.
One of the enigmatic tales of vine origin in colonial times concerns the Houghton-clone Cabernet Sauvignon. Allegedly, its genetic roots trace back to an 1830 arrival from the Cape Colony in Western Australia, a dubious assertion. The actual Houghton clone emerged from selections made in the 1950s at the Houghton vineyards in Swan Valley. It’s believed that these cuttings originated from the mysterious 1930s “Frenchman’s Block,” a plantation of bush vines likely eradicated during a financial downturn. Between 1968 and 1970, the Department of Agriculture in Western Australia meticulously evaluated 21 distinct vines, chosen for their productivity, health, and taste. Post-assessment, these vines were re-established at Frankland River in 1973. Decades later, the Houghton clone underpins some of the most celebrated Cabernet Sauvignon wines from Margaret River and Great Southern.
Preserved by stringent quarantine laws, historical 18th and early 19th-century vineyards, an inherited old-vine legacy, and innovative local vine selections, the distinctiveness and renown of Australia’s regional wines endure. Iconic styles like Clare Valley Riesling, Hunter Valley Semillon, Margaret River Chardonnay, Melbourne Dress Circle Pinot Noir, Barossa Shiraz, and Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon all weave into the nation’s pre-phylloxera genetic narrative. Advances in vine-epigenetics, vineyard management, novel technologies, and eco-friendly approaches are forecasted to counter climate impact, enhance soil health, and shape new standards and prospects. With a fresh influx of vine-stock from across Europe coupled with Australia’s prized heirloom vineyards and elite heritage selections, the future of Australian wine looks both promising and intriguing.