Penfolds

UNMISTAKABLY AUSTRALIAN

Penfolds was a Pioneer in many ways for Australian winemaking, making Waves Down Under since 1844. Their innovative spirit and early push towards quality standards has gotten them to an icon level. Australian Shiraz would probably not have gotten the popularity and identity it has today without Penfolds’ part in its history. Since 1844, Penfolds has played a pivotal role in the history and evolution of Aussie winemaking.

Quite young in European standard, Penfolds remains one of the first to pursue winemaking seriously in Australia. It’s been 175 years now that the English founders arrived in Adelaide, only 40 years after first settlement. What few souls actually know is that Dr. Christopher and Mary Penfold actually started with a small production of medicinal port-styled wines and sherries from a 500 acres property at Magill Estate. 40 years later, Penfolds was producing 1/3 of all South Australia’s wine. That was until the legend of Penfolds Grange changed everything.

In 1948, Max Schubert became chief winemaker and started experimenting on long-lasting wines, multi-regional blends, French oak and “bin wines” named after the storage area of the cellars where they were aged. He would stash his experiments away and the first ever Grange hermitage vintages 1957 to 1959 remained a secret from his peers until Max’ was instructed to re-start the Grange production in 1960. This is the history written, but it was also the very start of a tradition and Penfolds identity.

PHILOSOPHY

Grange’s reputation as one of the Australia’s most celebrated & looked for wine continues to grow today as is Penfolds reputation. First to believe in the potential of Shiraz, first to blend it with Cabernet Sauvignon, Penfolds now have a collection of benchmark wines with distinctive innovative style, but always with the tradition of blending and sourcing the best fruits from the best regions, a philosophy that goes back to their multi-sourcing fortified days. Reducing vintages variation and inconsistency was one step towards the highest quality standards, and multi-sourcing was the key factor. Today, Penfolds own 2000 acres around Australia, but mainly in South Australia. However, they’re also have 5000 acres of loyal suppliers that they can source from. Some of them have celebrated their 100th years of sourcing already.

Alongside the revered, iconic Grange, other blends have become recognized for their constant quality. Bin 707 Cabernet sauvignon and his underrated little brother Bin 407, representing Penfold’s DNA from McLaren Vale and Barossa valley Limestone Coast ; Bin 289 cabernet-Shiraz, also known as the poor’s man Grange, made from declassified Grange and Bin 707 grapes with the second use of the Grange Barrels; RWT Barossa Valley Shiraz, first single-region; The list goes on. As releases add up, it’s become impossible to imagine Australian winemaking without the presence and influence that Penfolds had and still provides.