A trip down memory lane
From the Hunter Valley to the world, here we look back at one of Australia’s longest-running and most-successful wine companies, McWilliam’s.
“At the present time Mr J. J. McWillliam's vineyard opposite the old show grounds is showing to great advantage and presents an object lesson to all interested in the land. Everything is in fine order; the vines look healthy and strong, with indications of a record yield. On every available inch of territory the genius of Mr McWilliam may be seen; he has everything marked and planned out for the future, and when all his little plans and ideas materialise, ‘Mark View’ will be one of the finest properties in the state.” – words from the Junee Southern Cross newspaper in 1906 about the McWilliam’s Mark View Winery.
Photo above left: This was taken outside the McWilliam’s Brisbane office circa 1963.
Photo above right: Taken at the Mark View Winery, which was established by McWilliam’s sometime around 1901 near Junee by J.J. McWilliam (the founder Samuel McWilliam’s son). The two men trained kangaroos sitting on the barrels, which were also family pets.
When you look across Australia at all of our successful wine regions, this sunburnt country of ours has a lot to be proud of when it comes vino. At the heart of this success lie many family-run and owned businesses. There is no better example of this than McWilliam’s – they have been leaders of the Australian wine industry longer than anyone can remember. Their history now spans over six generations since venturing into wine in 1877.
Passed down through six generations, McWilliam’s has evolved from Samuel planting his first vines on the outskirts of Corowa, NSW in 1877 to the successful international business that it has become today. McWilliam’s is one of the largest family-owned wine businesses in the country. As well as the McWilliam family becoming involved with the celebrated Mount Pleasant Estate in the Hunter Valley in the 1930s – a winery founded by one of Australia's greatest winemakers, Maurice O'Shea – they also have the large Hanwood winery in the Riverina region of New South Wales that has existed since 1916. It is here wine ranges like Hanwood and Inheritance are produced. In the new millenium McWilliam’s has continued venturing into new Australian wine regions, such as Margaret River, with popular wine brands like Evans & Tate and Catching Thieves.
The winery's reputation for crafting wines of exceptional character and premium quality has seen it win countless awards at wine shows across Australia and around the world. Perhaps this is due to their winemaking philosophy that runs parallel to its history and follows a family creed of quality, site selection and minimal winemaking intervention, handed down over six generations.
If you'd like to read more about the history of this great Australian company, visit the history section on their website now.