Historical Timeline

Wine and Grape History in the Sydney Region

The history of the Australian wine industry had its beginnings with the arrival of the first fleet into Sydney Cove.

The first vines arrived in Australia in 1788 with Captain Phillip on board one of the ships of the First Fleet. These vines were first planted out at Farm Cove - the site of the present Sydney Botanical Gardens. Unfortunately, the vines did not bear as expected, and were soon transplanted to a new location at Parramatta. In 1791, Governor Phillip reported that he had established a three-acre vineyard at Parramatta, and that a settler named Schaffer had also planted one acre of vines.

In following years, many others attempted to establish wine grape growing and winemaking ventures in various regions of the colony.

Notable amongst these were the pioneering efforts of Captain John Macarthur, to whom a grant of land some thirty miles from Sydney was made, and which he named Camden Park. This property played a major part in the development of all manner of primary industries in Australia, being particularly well known as the home of the development of the merino sheep breed. Camden Park played a vital roll in the fledgling wine industry through its importation and distribution of vine cuttings throughout NSW and the Barossa Valley. By 1853, Camden Park listed some 33 grape varieties for sale.

Another important figure in the early wine industry was Gregory Blaxland. Blaxland established a vineyard at Ermington on the Parramatta River in 1806 and by 1822 shipped 136 litres of wine to London where it won the Silver Medal of the Society for Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, now known as the Royal Society of Arts. Five years later, a larger shipment of 1800 litres of Blaxland's wine won the Gold Ceres Medal.

Early vineyard data compiled from Colonial Secretary returns showed in 1843, some 183.6 acres of grapes being grown in the Sydney Basin, producing 12,315 gals of wine and 497 gal brandy. Statistical data in the table below shows how the area under vines expanded in Sydney and continued to expand throughout the state.

Table 1: Development of grapes grown (acres) in early New South Wales 1845-1886

Many important families were involved in the development of the Sydney wine scene, especially in the fertile agricultural lands that followed the Nepean and Hawkesbury river system. Many of these early vineyards are outlined in the time chart below.
Once the 1870's had been reached, the technology of winemaking and viticulture began to be better understood and the industry was primed to develop to another level. One individual, Dr Thomas Fiaschi, who pioneered the introduction of Listerian surgery in Australia at the Hawkesbury District Hospital (Windsor) also made a pioneering contribution to the wine industry through his experimental use of new grape varieties, use of aseptic conditions in a modern winery and new trellising techniques. Fiaschi was elected president of the NSW winegrowers Association for some 25 years.

By 1895, James Angus had begun to introduce modern wine making techniques at Minchinbury and released its famous sparkling wines in 1903.

All was not well however in the wine industry and the turn of the century saw the decline of many vineyards in the County of Cumberland (and in many other parts of Australia) due to the Phylloxera louse. Many remnants of early vineyards hung on throughout the 20th century, exploiting the still rich farming lands, but succumbing to the pressure of growth from an ever-growing metropolis.

Recent years however has seen a revival in the planting of vineyards in the Sydney basin offering visitors a unique opportunity to compare Sydney wines to other regions.

References

Norrie, Dr Philip., 1990, Vineyards of Sydney - Cradle of the Australian Wine Industry from First Settlement to Today, Horwitz Grahame Pty Ltd, Sydney, p222.