Penfolds
Encyclopedia
Penfolds is an Australian wine
producer, founded in 1844 by Christopher Rawson Penfold, an English physician who emigrated to Australia
, and his wife, Mary Penfold. It is one of Australia's oldest wineries
and a company brand with an extensive product range.
and, before emigrating to Australia, he obtained some vine cuttings from southern France
. Arriving in Australia from Angmering
in Sussex, he set up in practice at Magill
on the eastern outskirts of Adelaide
, South Australia
and planted vines around his stone cottage which he called "The Grange" after his wife, Mary's, former home. Initially, Penfold produced fortified wine
s for his patients in the style of sherry
and port
. As demand for the wines increased, the winery was expanded.
Mary Penfold assumed the running of the winery after the death of her husband in 1870. After she retired in 1884, her daughter Georgina and son-in-law Thomas Hyland took over the day to day running of the winery. The Penfold family continued to operate the business very successfully and, although the company became public in 1962, the Penfold family retained a controlling interest until 1976.
In 1903 Penfolds was the largest winery surrounding Adelaide producing 450,000 litres of wine. Between 1904 and 1912 more vineyards in McLaren Vale and Sydney were bought.
During the 1940s and 1950s the company changed its focus to table wine
s to accommodate changing tastes. This led to experiments by Penfolds' chief winemaker, Max Schubert
, which eventually led to the production of Penfolds' and Australia's most famous wine, Grange Hermitage
, later renamed Grange.
In 1976 control of Penfolds passed to Tooth and Co.
, a brewer
based in New South Wales
and then, in 1982, to the Adelaide Steamship Company
. In 1990, SA Brewing purchased Adelaide Steamship's wineries. It then separated into three entities: the brewing assets retained the S.A. Brewing name, the wine assets were named Southcorp wines and the whitegoods and other manufacturing interests became Southcorp, an Australian conglomerate. Since 2005, Southcorp wines have become part of the Foster's Group
. Penfolds currently operates two wineries; Magill
at the base of Adelaide's eastern foothills and Nuriootpa in the Barossa Valley
. Despite the fact that the Adelaide area has been deemed a "super zone" by the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation, the Magill Estate is one of two operating wineries in the Adelaide metropolitan area, the other being Patritti at Dover Gardens.
Australian wine
The Australian Wine Industry is the fourth largest exporter of wine around the world, with 760 million litres a year to a large international export market and contributes $5.5 billion per annum to the nation's economy...
producer, founded in 1844 by Christopher Rawson Penfold, an English physician who emigrated to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and his wife, Mary Penfold. It is one of Australia's oldest wineries
Winery
A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, bottling lines, laboratories, and large expanses of...
and a company brand with an extensive product range.
History
Christopher Penfold was a believer in the medicinal benefits of wineWine and health
The issue of wine and health is a topic of considerable discussion and research. Wine has a long history of use as an early form of medication, being recommended variously as a safe alternative to drinking water, an antiseptic for treating wounds and a digestive aid, as well as a cure for a wide...
and, before emigrating to Australia, he obtained some vine cuttings from southern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Arriving in Australia from Angmering
Angmering
Angmering is a large village and civil parish between Littlehampton and Worthing in West Sussex, England. It is located approximately two miles north of the English Channel; Worthing and Littlehampton are about four miles to the east and west respectively.Angmering railway station is miles away...
in Sussex, he set up in practice at Magill
Magill, South Australia
Magill is a suburb of Adelaide in the City of Burnside and the City of Campbelltown.-History:Magill is a suburb located approximately 7 km from the Adelaide CBD in the eastern suburbs. Magill was first established as the Makgill Estate, owned by two Scots, Robert Cock and William Ferguson,...
on the eastern outskirts of Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
and planted vines around his stone cottage which he called "The Grange" after his wife, Mary's, former home. Initially, Penfold produced fortified wine
Fortified wine
Fortified wine is wine to which a distilled beverage has been added. Fortified wine is distinguished from spirits made from wine in that spirits are produced by means of distillation, while fortified wine is simply wine that has had a spirit added to it...
s for his patients in the style of sherry
Sherry
Sherry is a fortified wine made from white grapes that are grown near the town of Jerez , Spain. In Spanish, it is called vino de Jerez....
and port
Port wine
Port wine is a Portuguese fortified wine produced exclusively in the Douro Valley in the northern provinces of Portugal. It is typically a sweet, red wine, often served as a dessert wine, and comes in dry, semi-dry, and white varieties...
. As demand for the wines increased, the winery was expanded.
In 1903 Penfolds was the largest winery surrounding Adelaide producing 450,000 litres of wine. Between 1904 and 1912 more vineyards in McLaren Vale and Sydney were bought.
During the 1940s and 1950s the company changed its focus to table wine
Table wine
Table wine is a wine term with two different meanings: a wine style; and a quality level within wine classification.In the United States, table wine primarily designates a wine style - ordinary wine which is neither fortified nor sparkling....
s to accommodate changing tastes. This led to experiments by Penfolds' chief winemaker, Max Schubert
Max Schubert
Max Schubert AM was a pioneering Australian winemaker who is best known as the creator of Grange Hermitage.-Career:He joined Penfolds in the early 1930s as a messenger boy and became chief winemaker in 1948 through 1975...
, which eventually led to the production of Penfolds' and Australia's most famous wine, Grange Hermitage
Penfolds Grange
Penfolds Grange is an Australian wine, made predominantly from the Shiraz grape and usually a small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon. It is widely considered Australia's "first growth" and its most collectable wine...
, later renamed Grange.
In 1976 control of Penfolds passed to Tooth and Co.
Tooth and Co.
Tooth and Co. was the major brewer of beer in New South Wales, Australia. The company owned a large brewery on Broadway in Sydney from 1835 until 1985, known as the Kent Brewery...
, a brewer
Brewer
Brewer may refer to:*Brewer, someone who makes beer by brewing*Brewer , a disambiguation page that lists people with the surname Brewer*Brewer, Maine, a city in southern Penobscot County, Maine, United States, near the city of Bangor...
based in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
and then, in 1982, to the Adelaide Steamship Company
Adelaide Steamship Company
The Adelaide Steamship Company was formed by a group of South Australian businessmen in 1875. Their aim was to control the transport of goods between Adelaide and Melbourne and profit from the need for an efficient and comfortable passenger service...
. In 1990, SA Brewing purchased Adelaide Steamship's wineries. It then separated into three entities: the brewing assets retained the S.A. Brewing name, the wine assets were named Southcorp wines and the whitegoods and other manufacturing interests became Southcorp, an Australian conglomerate. Since 2005, Southcorp wines have become part of the Foster's Group
Foster's Group
Foster's Group is a beer group with interests in brewing and soft drinks. Foster's Group is the brewer of the Foster's Lager. Foster's Group Limited is a publicly-listed company on the Australian Securities Exchange and is based in Melbourne, Victoria...
. Penfolds currently operates two wineries; Magill
Magill, South Australia
Magill is a suburb of Adelaide in the City of Burnside and the City of Campbelltown.-History:Magill is a suburb located approximately 7 km from the Adelaide CBD in the eastern suburbs. Magill was first established as the Makgill Estate, owned by two Scots, Robert Cock and William Ferguson,...
at the base of Adelaide's eastern foothills and Nuriootpa in the Barossa Valley
Barossa Valley (wine)
The Barossa Valley is one of Australia's oldest wine regions. Located in South Australia, the Barossa Valley is about 56km northeast of the city of Adelaide...
. Despite the fact that the Adelaide area has been deemed a "super zone" by the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation, the Magill Estate is one of two operating wineries in the Adelaide metropolitan area, the other being Patritti at Dover Gardens.
Vineyards
Penfolds operates a number of vineyards in the Adelaide region which produce many different grape varieties.- Adelaide
- Magill Estate (12.94 acres) – shiraz
- Barossa Valley
- Kalimna (700 acres) – shiraz, cabernet sauvignonCabernet SauvignonCabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Canada's Okanagan Valley to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley...
, mataroMourvèdreMourvèdre , Mataró or Monastrell is wine grape variety used to make both strong, dark red wines and rosés. It is an international variety grown in many regions around the world....
, sangioveseSangioveseSangiovese is a red Italian wine grape variety whose name derives from the Latin sanguis Jovis, "the blood of Jove"... - Koonunga Hill (158 acres) – shiraz, cabernet sauvignon
- Waltons (783 acres) – shiraz, cabernet sauvignon, mataro
- Stonewell (80 acres) – shiraz, cabernet sauvignon, grenacheGrenacheGrenache is one of the most widely planted red wine grape varieties in the world. It ripens late, so it needs hot, dry conditions such as those found in Spain, the south of France, and California's San Joaquin Valley. It is generally spicy, berry-flavored and soft on the palate with a relatively...
, semillonSémillonSémillon is a golden-skinned grape used to make dry and sweet white wines, most notably in France and Australia.-History:The origin of the Sémillon grape is hard to determine. It is known that it first arrived in Australia in the early 19th century and by the 1820s the grape covered over 90 percent...
, chardonnayChardonnayChardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It is originated from the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand...
- Kalimna (700 acres) – shiraz, cabernet sauvignon
- McLaren ValeMcLaren ValeMcLaren Vale is a wine region approximately 35 km south of Adelaide in South Australia. It has a population of about 2,000 and is internationally renowned for the wines it produces. The region was named after either David McLaren, the Colonial Manager of the South Australia Company or John...
– shiraz, grenache, cabernet sauvignon, merlotMerlotMerlot is a darkly blue-coloured wine grape, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to derive from the Old French word for young blackbird, merlot, a diminutive of merle, the blackbird , probably from the color of the grape. Merlot-based wines...
, sauvignon blancSauvignon blancSauvignon Blanc is a green-skinned grape variety which originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French word sauvage and blanc due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in South West France., a possible descendant of savagnin... - Clare ValleyClare ValleyThe Clare Valley is one of Australia's oldest wine regions, best known for Riesling wines. It lies in the Mid North of South Australia, approximately 120 km north of Adelaide. The valley runs north-south, with Main North Road as the main thoroughfare....
– rieslingRieslingRiesling is a white grape variety which originated in the Rhine region of Germany. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet and sparkling white wines. Riesling wines are usually varietally...
, chardonnay, shiraz - CoonawarraCoonawarraCoonawarra is a wine region, on the Limestone Coast of South Australia, that is known for the Cabernet Sauvignon wines produced on its "terra rossa" soil. Coonawarra is an Aboriginal word meaning "Honeysuckle". It is about 380 km southeast of Adelaide, close to the border with...
– cabernet sauvignon, shiraz, chardonnay, riesling - Other regions: Bordertown DistrictBordertown, South AustraliaBordertown is a small South Australian town near the Victorian border. It is where the Dukes Highway and the railway line, the two main routes between Adelaide and Melbourne, cross Tatiara Creek....
, PadthawayPadthaway, South AustraliaPadthaway is a small town on the Riddoch Highway in the south-east of South Australia, halfway from Keith to Naracoorte. The name is derived from the Potawurutj Aboriginal name for Good Water. Padthaway is in the Tatiara District Council, the state electorate of MacKillop and the federal Division...
, RobeRobe, South AustraliaRobe is a town and fishing port on the South East Limestone Coast of South Australia. The town's distinctive combination of historical buildings, ocean, fishing fleets, lakes and dense bush is widely appreciated. Robe lies on the southern shore of Guichen Bay, just off the Princes Highway. At the...
, OrangeOrange, New South WalesOrange is a city in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. It is west of the state capital, Sydney, at an altitude of . Orange has an estimated population of 39,329 and the city is a major provincial centre....