Viticulture, New England Australia Region
 

The earliest vineyards in the New England Region, are thought to have been planted during the 1840’s. By 1850 Allan Macpherson of Keera Station near Bundarra was producing wine for the consumption of his establishment possibly from varieties known as the “Black Cluster” and the “Gouet”.

In 1852, the sons of George Wyndham planted vines at “Bukkulla” and “Kulki” near Inverell from cuttings taken from their vineyard “Dalwood” at the Hunter Valley. The wines from Bukkulla and Kulki received high praise from high authority, winning numerous awards including a silver medal at Paris in 1867. 

Samples of both Bukkulla and Dalwood wines went to London for the opinion of the best judge of wine in England, Mr J.B. Keene, of His Majesty’s Customs. Mr Keene’s opinion is as follows…

“The whole of them (samples from Bukkulla and Dalwood) are fine, strong, full-bodied, well-flavoured and sound, and have a character and quality above the average of most wine-producing countries. The lowest quality is better than a large proportion of the ordinary wines of Europe, while the best would not suffer in comparison with the finest growths. They bear evidence of having been made in the most careful and approved manner. They are bright and clear, free from the slightest cloudiness, clean in flavour, full in body, rich in natural spirit, and thoroughly fermented. There seems nothing in them calculated to produce any after fermentation, and they are well suited to the weakest stomach. The strengths vary from twenty up to twenty-six percent of proof spirit, the Bukkulla red being of the Burgundy type – the Bukkulla white reminds one in certain points of Sauterne, yet more resembles some of the finest German growths”.

In 1869, as Theophilus Cooper, Esq, MLA was preparing to lay the foundation stone for the new Court House and Lock-up at Bundarra, he placed beneath it a bottle of wine – vintage 1865, from his own vineyard “Beverly” also near Bundarra.

In 1876, the Agricultural Society of NSW awarded a handsome bronze medal to the Morse Bros, of Abbington near Uralla, for wine sent to be judged in Sydney.

By the 1880’s the Inverell district was ranked as “one of the foremost wine producing neighbourhoods in the colony” (Sydney Mail June 24, 1882). The vineyards were numerous and the vignerons and winemakers were meticulous. Lengthy descriptions of award winning vineyards such as “Bukkulla”, “Afu Ila”, “Rosenstein”, “Roslyn”, Rob Roy” and “Nullamanna” appeared in Sydney’s newspapers, journals and gazettes. New England wines were winning awards locally, nationally and internationally including medals from Bordeaux, London, Calcutta, Amsterdam and Columbia.

The wines produced in the area during the 1880’s included: Hermitage, Malbec, Lambruscat, Shiraz, Verdelho, Madeira, Pinot, Riesling, White Shiraz, Tokay and Isabella.

Fires, frosts, enormous transport costs, tariffs, horrific family tragedies, the odd scandal or two and the increasing popularity of beer, all played a part in the demise of New England’s early foray into viticulture. However, recent successes at wine shows, and the proclamation of New England, Australia as a Geographical Indication, may see the return of “the glory days”.

Written by Susan Moore