05 Jun Off the Vine, Season 2, Ep 12

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Tintara Vineyard: The oldest bottle of Australian wine in the world was produced at the original Tintara winery in 1867. The wine was made by Dr Alexander Kelly, who along with a syndicate of prominent South Australian families, established the Tintara Winery and Vineyard in 1861 at Mclaren Vale in South Australia. It is believed to be a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Mataro and Grenache. Thomas Hardy purchased the Tintara winery in 1876. Twenty-year-old Thomas Hardy had arrived in Port Adelaide aboard the ‘British Empire’ in 1850 with only 30 pounds in his pocket. He joined the gold rush in 1851 but after failing to strike it rich and spending a night in jail for mining without a license he turned his hand to butchering. In 1853, he returned to Adelaide and bought a parcel of land on the banks of the River Torrens, a few miles west of Adelaide, and named the property ‘Bankside’. In 1857, he had sufficient grapes to make his first wine, two hogsheads which he exported back to England. In 1876, his business was flourishing and he was able to purchase ‘Tintara’ in McLaren Vale. By the end of the 19th century, he had become South Australia’s leading wine producer. The winery was later moved into the town of McLaren Vale, South Australia. Hardy’s Tintara winery combines the best of new-age winemaking while still retaining and using much of the original equipment and winemaking methods of the past. Sourcing fruit from premium and emerging wine regions in South Australia, the range consists of Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. Thomas Hardy’s open fermenting tanks and traditional basket presses are still used today, and Hardy’s pride themselves on producing quality wines. When Thomas Hardy died in January 1912 he was acknowledged as one of the great pioneers of the South Australian wine industry. Hardy wines are now exported to over 50 countries around the world. In 2003, four generations the Hardys are celebrating their 150th anniversary as Australia’s number one wine producer.