John Reynell
Encyclopedia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
n winemaker.
Reynell was born in 1809 from a Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
shire farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
ing family. He arrived in Port Adelaide
Port Adelaide
Port Adelaide is a suburb of Adelaide lying about 14 kilometres northwest of the City of Adelaide. It lies within the City of Port Adelaide Enfield and is the main port for the city of Adelaide...
, South Australia in 1838 and established his property about 20 kilometres south of the main settlement of Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
in the area that became known as McLaren Vale
McLaren Vale, South Australia
McLaren Vale is a township in the wine region of McLaren Vale in South Australia. At the 2006 census, McLaren Vale had a population of 2,908....
.
Reynell is thought to have established the first commercial vineyard and winery in South Australia by planting vine
Vine
A vine in the narrowest sense is the grapevine , but more generally it can refer to any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent, that is to say climbing, stems or runners...
cuttings in 1839 that he had bought at the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
. Reynell employed a young man named Thomas Hardy (who also became a famed winemaker) to help him to tend to the vineyards. They became the largest wine producers in the McLaren Vale region. The first vintage was produced in 1842 and he built the Old Cave cellar in 1845. The cellar survives to today.
He exported claret
Claret
Claret is a name primarily used in British English for red wine from the Bordeaux region of France.-Usage:Claret derives from the French clairet, a now uncommon dark rosé and the most common wine exported from Bordeaux until the 18th century...
and burgundy
Burgundy wine
Burgundy wine is wine made in the Burgundy region in eastern France, in the valleys and slopes west of the Saône River, a tributary of the Rhône. The most famous wines produced here - those commonly referred to as "Burgundies" - are red wines made from Pinot Noir grapes or white wines made from...
to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. Reynell was also a foundation member of the Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Society of South Australia.
Reynell married Mary Lucas and they had a daughter named Lucy.
In 1854, Reynell sold some farm land to create the town of Reynella, which has now become the Adelaide suburb of Old Reynella
Old Reynella, South Australia
Old Reynella is a metropolitan suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is located 20 km south of the Central Business District of Adelaide in the north of the City of Onkaparinga....
. The South Australian electoral district of Reynell
Electoral district of Reynell
Reynell is an electoral district of the House of Assembly in the Australian state of South Australia. It is named after John Reynell, a leading force in the founding of the Agricultural and Horticultural Society of South Australia and noted 19th century grape farmer and vineyard owner in the area...
, which includes the suburbs of Reynella
Reynella, South Australia
Reynella is a metropolitan suburb of Adelaide, South Australia.It is located 20km south of the Central Business District of Adelaide in the north of the City of Onkaparinga...
, Old Reynella and Reynella East
Reynella East, South Australia
Reynella East is a metropolitan suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It lies within the City of Onkaparinga and has postcode 5161.-History:...
, was also named after him.
Life
- 1838, 16 October Arrived aboard the sailing ship SurrySurry (ship)Surry, later referred to as the Surrey, had an especially long career transporting convicts to Australia. In 11 voyages, the most of any convict transport, she brought 2,177 convicts, male and female, and so became one of the best-known of the vessels that visited Australia...
, 29 years of age. - 1838, Oct/Nov – Planted first vine cuttings for source stock on banks of Field River at Surryville.
- 1839, 31 January – married Mary Lucas at Holy Trinity Church, North Terrace, Adelaide.
- 1839, 12 March – Acquired his land selection, Section 524 in Hurtle Vale and called it Reynella Farm.
- 1839, Transferred rooted vine cuttings from Surryville to Reynella Farm, establishment of Stony Hill Vineyard, first vineyard for commercial winemaking in South Australia.
- 1839, Became one of the foundation members of what is now the Royal Agriculture and Horticulture Society.
- 1840, May – John and Mary moved into the first home on banks of Panalatinga Creek, Reynella Farm.
- 1842, Built and moved into second home on land – section 538 – opposite original holding (current site of existing winery complex). The cottage structure is still evident as the northern wing of the existing homestead.
- 1845, dug Cellar Number 1, commonly known as the Old Cave – this was one of Australia's first underground wine cellars.