Tahbilk Winery
A Family Tradition For 100 Years
Purchased by the Purbrick family in 1925, Tahbilk is the oldest family-owned winery and vineyard in Victoria, Australia. As proud custodians of Tahbilk Estate, the family has been at the forefront of sustainability, ensuring Tahbilk’s rich heritage, winemaking style and unique natural environment is protected for the enjoyment of all for many years to come.
Situated within the traditional lands of the Taungurung people tabilk-tabilk means place of many waterholes. A name which aptly describes the landscape and recognises the uniqueness of Tahbilk Estate’s location. As one of only eight wine regions worldwide, dramatically influenced by inland water mass, our unique environment lies at the heart of our ability to craft wines of exceptional quality for generations.
Wine Region
Tahbilk Estate is situated within the sub region Nagambie Lakes; within the Goulburn Valley located in Victoria, north of Melbourne.
The Goulburn Valley is known as distinctly warm, with a typical inland valley-floor climate and substantial diurnal temperature ranges. The heat is mitigated by the abundance of lakes, billabongs and creeks associated with the Warring or Goulburn River.
Tahbilk Winery was established in 1860 and continues to pay homage to the tradition of old-world winemaking, a celebration of terroir. Their winemaking approach, in combination with the unique climate and world class soils, means the wines truly pay homage to the place they are grown, the people who made them and five generations of family heritage and craft.
Most old-world wines are soft, elegant and tannic. Tahbilk Estate wines approaches making wine like some of the greatest winemaking regions in the world such as Bordeaux, Burgundy and the Rhone.
Founded on these principals by one of the most influential winemakers in Tahbilk’s history, Francois Coueslant, who in 1877 arrived at Tahbilk as a practical vigneron from France, but a gentleman with progressive ideas. His winemaking techniques still used today and what led Tahbilk Estate into its first Golden Age.
The Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon continue to be fermented in original open oak vats (over 155 years old), followed by maturation is similarly aged large French barrels prior to being bottled. Smaller French and American oak barrels being used late in the winemaking before the wines are blended back together. A craft honed over 160 years.
Winemaker: Alister Purbrick
A winery that has been in the same family for nearly 100 years, Tahbilk Wines is steeped in Victorian history. As a fourth-generation family winemaker, CEO of Tahbilk and MFWF Industry Legend Alister Purbrick knows all too well the histories and rollercoasters of making Victorian wine, and it’s led him to be one of Australia’s leading voices for the wine industry.