Australia WineGeese Tour : 30 Sept - 10 Oct.

A spring tour of the great wineries of Australia will find us at a particularly picturesque time of the year with opportunities to enjoy great wines amongst the vines and private homes of Australian luminaries. 

< The WineGeese Society

The Australian wine industry from its origins in the 18th century to the modern era is peppered with Irish names.  James Busby, known as the father of Australian wine, was born in Edinburgh, but first took an interest in growing things by following his estate manager father around in Ireland.  Jon Hurley (in A Matter of Taste:  The History of Wine Drinking in Britain) observes that “the experience inflamed in him a passion for wine.  These ascendancy cellars were well-stocked and the owners spent a lot of time away.”  It is in Ireland that Busby honed his palate before choosing Australia as the place to pursue his interest in things horticultural and viticultural.

Our WineGeese journey will begin in the Sydney area enjoying the extraordinary sights of the region exploring the hidden jewels as well as famous and historical buildings and homes. 

From here, we will go to Watson’s Bay located on the southern head of the entrance to Sydney Harbour and much more.  From Sydney we will head to the Hunter Valley and explore the great WineGeese of this region – Barry McGuigan of McGuigan Wines, Bill Roche of Roche Wines, the McWilliams family of McWilliams Mt Pleasant Winery, and the Tyrrell family of Tyrrell’s Vineyards.  McWilliams, one of Australia’s leading wineries, was founded by Samuel McWilliam from the north of Ireland who settled in Australia in 1857 . . . “[T]here are probably very few family-owned companies as proud or as conscious of their heritage as McWilliam Wines who are well into their second century of wine making (from Australian Wine:  A Pictorial Guide).”

From Sydney we will make our way to the Margaret River via Perth in Western Australia.  Margaret River, of which Jancis Robinson says it “is as close to paradise as I have been on my wine travels.”  Here we will visit Leeuwin Estate (Horgan family), Cullen Winery (Cullen family), Xanadu (Lagan Sheridan family), Fermoy (Anderson family), Abbey Vale, and Clairault.  This will bring the tour to an end with our morning departure from the Margert River area via charter flight to Perth for departure from Australia or a noon flight for Sydney on the 10th of October.