SNIPPETS FROM TAHBILK’S160 YEARS OF HISTORY. WHAT’S IN A COMPANY NAME ... 1860 – 1866 1866 1875 – 1900 1900 – 1934 Tabilk Vineyard Proprietary Tabilk Vineyard Company Australian Freehold Land and The Chateau Tahbilk Proprietary Produce Company Limited Limited Although the story leading to 1866 – 1871 Tahbilk’s beginnings in 1860 goes The Australian Vineyards Another reorganisation of the By the end of 1877 the Australian Proprietary Limited company occurred in 1875; this time Freehold Land and Produce Company back further - and perhaps that is a tale for another day - Tahbilk ‘began’ 1871 – 1875 a joint stock company was Limited, more commonly known as as the Tabilk Vineyard Proprietary in Tabilk Vineyard Proprietary Limited incorporated under the Limited Tabilk Vineyard, had transformed that year. It was the Directors of this In 1866 the name changed to Tabilk Liability Act. The new entity was itself into Chateau Tahbilk. Styling company that took possession of Vineyard Company and then in the named the Australian Freehold Land the vineyard a ‘Chateau’ emphasised the Tabilk Run – some 640 acres same year it changed for a second and Produce Company Limited with a and honoured the vineyard’s strong (260 hectares) in a good location time, this time to The Australian capital of £40,000 divided into 4,000 European background. Another fronting the Goulburn River – on Vineyards Proprietary Limited before shares of £10 each. The period from development that came with the August 1st 1860. returning to a name akin to its roots 1876 to 1889 was a time of innovation introduction of ‘Chateau’ was Tabilk One of the Directors, Ludovic Marie, as Tabilk Vineyard Proprietary and consolidation, largely under the gaining a ‘h’ to become Tahbilk. an enterprising Frenchman who Limited in 1871. It was during this direction of Francois Coueslant, There is no definitive archival knew something about wine, in his time that colonial wine became Tahbilk’s progressive winemaker and explanation for why this occurred role as manager of works gave fashionable and ‘For the first time it manager of the day. This period is but the feeling is that the addition of directions for the clearing of land became a matter on which men of referred by historians of Tahbilk and the ‘h’ changed the harsh ‘Tabilk’ to a and by the end of 1860, 160 hectares respectability and refinement were the Victorian wine industry as the softer ‘Tahbilk’ which worked better had been cleared and 26 hectares of not ashamed to express a favourable ‘First Golden Age’ of the vineyard. with ‘Chateau’ and the combination vines planted , including of course opinion.’ (David Dunstan, Better than Coueslant left a great legacy which of both helped to give our wines a our much loved and still surviving Pomard! Australian Scholarly is still visible today, and this period greater validity in the European 1860s Shiraz block. Publishing, Kew, 1988, p. 39) of prolific production was to hold the market where, notwithstanding an Estate in good stead for the rocky acceptance of the quality produced, times that would come. there existed a degree of snobbishness towards colonial wines. YOU’RE INVITED TO TAHBILK’S 160th BIRTHDAY PARTY! WHEN: WHERE: MORE INFO: Saturday August 1st 2020 Tahbilk Wetlands View Restaurant, Look for details and yourofficial invitation in the June/July 2010 Newsletter Tahbilk Estate but until then keep the date free! 04 www.tahbilk.com.au@tahbilkwinery@tahbilkwinery@tahbilkwineryalisterpurbrick@tahbilk.com.au