There are fewer family names more synonymous with Hunter Valley wines than Tyrrell’s. Now in its 165th year of operation, you might put Tyrrell’s longevity down to staying power. However, in speaking to executive chairman and fourth generation family member, Bruce Tyrrell AM, it quickly becomes clear that would be taking a simplistic view.
It takes more than stamina to keep any business, let alone a family one, running for over one hundred and fifty years. What it does take, Bruce isn’t quick to give away. He is humble in his appraisals of the business’s achievements and seemingly more comfortable sharing colourful stories of a fledgling Australian wine industry that would barely recognise itself today, than sharing the secrets of his family’s success.
However, within his modest musings lie some key tactics that go some way to explaining not only why Tyrrell’s has stood the test of time, but also, how they managed to put semillon and the Hunter Valley on the map, globally.
It takes more than stamina to keep any business, let alone a family one, running for over one hundred and fifty years.
Tyrrell’s cellar door is located on Broke Road, Pokolbin. Entering down the pebbled drive, you’ll find the estate nestled into the foothills of the Brokenback Mountain ranges. One of the most striking features of the property is the original ironbark slab cottage, built by founder Edward Tyrrell in 1858. It’s one of many nods to the family’s history found within the vineyard. Elsewhere, portraits of Tyrrell forefathers can be found hanging on the cellar door walls, and the number 1858 sits prominently outside the office door.
It’s clear that the family’s history and heritage is important – a source of pride if you will. However, don’t be fooled into thinking this is the only direction they’re looking. This ability, as the Tyrrells say, “to keep one eye on the past and one and a half eyes on the future” explains quite a bit about their philosophy.
Bruce’s youngest son, Chris, fifth generation winemaker and Tyrrell’s chief executive officer sums this outlook up well saying, “It’s a humbling experience to be able to go out every day and work with vineyards that were planted by my grandfather, my great grandfather and my great, great grandfather. While the Hunter Valley was Australia’s first grape-growing region, it’s still a progressive wine region. No-one rests on their laurels here, and at Tyrrell’s we’re very much a part of that – constantly looking to innovate and stay ahead of the curve.”
It’s a sentiment Bruce echoes while crediting the pivotal part the cellar door has played in keeping atop of consumer preferences.
“I think we’ve survived because we’ve read the trends and changes. It’s one of the great things about cellar doors. If there’s a change coming, you see it here – we find out pretty quickly… People will tell you what they want, if you ask the right questions and you listen,” says Bruce.
“It’s a humbling experience to be able to go out every day and work with vineyards that were planted by my grandfather, my great grandfather and my great, great grandfather…”
While listening carefully is important to Bruce – so is not taking no for an answer. It’s this perseverance that has seen Tyrrell’s take semillon from, in Bruce’s words, “the bottom of the barrel to… be one of the more sought-after wines in the world.”
Indeed, made from the oldest plantings dating back to 1908, Tyrrell’s Vat 1 Semillon has become the stuff of legends. Since its inception in 1962, it’s become one Australia’s most awarded white wines with over 5,500 medals and 330 trophies to its name. It’s also been declared one of the world’s top white wines by the prestigious international wine magazine, Decanter.
It’s a far cry from Bruce’s early recollections in the eighties of being turned down by owner Sam Aaron of premium wine retailer, Sherry-Lehmann, in New York City. It also highlights Tyrrell’s tenacity and ingenuity. It may have taken six years, but they got their wine into the Madison Avenue outlet in the end.
“All those years of battling…” reflects Bruce. “When I first went out, literally no one wanted to know. So, you then had to find the journalist that firstly had influence and secondly – that had an open mind.”
And the strategy they implemented to do this? Winning awards at wine shows of course.
“We won, we kept winning and it put us in a position to get the press coverage to build the profile of the area. I’ve always believed if the area is strong, we’re strong,” says Bruce.
“I think we’ve survived because we’ve read the trends and changes. It’s one of the great things about cellar doors. If there’s a change coming, you see it here – we find out pretty quickly… People will tell you what they want, if you ask the right questions and you listen.”
While we’re talking awards, it would be remiss of us not to mention Tyrrell’s 1976 Vat notoir. 1979, it took out the title of world’s best wine at the ‘Olympics of Wine’ in Paris organised by French food and wine magazine, Gault-Millau. Outdoing more than three hundred wines from thirty-three countries, it caused quite the international stir in the process.
In describing the local Hunter Valley winemaking community, Bruce says it’s tight knit. “We’re actually very close – always have been. We all get on well, particularly with those that have been around a bit and that’s becoming more difficult because we’re the only original family left now.”
With a century-old business, change is inevitable and it’s something that Tyrrell’s clearly doesn’t shy away from in either their winemaking or business operations. Bruce credits long-term chief winemaker, Andrew Spinaze, for continuing to innovate. “I’m very lucky, my chief winemaker, Spinz – who’s been with me for forty odd years – is one of those people, who’ll say, ‘Well I’ve tried that, what else can I try?’ We’ve got an open business. If you’ve got an idea, the only thing that’ll get you into trouble is if you don’t tell us what it is and we don’t get a chance to try it,” says Bruce.
“My chief winemaker, Spinz – who’s been with me for forty odd years – is one of those people, who’ll say, ‘Well I’ve tried that, what else can I try?”
In 2009, Tyrrell’s established an environmental management system and dedicated team designed to operate in accordance with international requirements. Through initiatives that have since been devised, Tyrrell’s has cut their greenhouse gas emissions by just under seventy per cent.
In terms of company management, presently, Bruce is in the process of stepping back.
“The day-to-day running of the place is in my son Chris’ control. It was time to happen. I’m in my early seventies and he’s in his early forties and the last thing you want is someone hanging around, trying to run the place and not being as quick as they used to be… It’s the logical thing to do. It’s nice to become – if you like, the mentor,” says Bruce. As for what’s next for Tyrrell’s, Bruce says further perfecting their semillon is still a priority as is their focus on bolstering the region.
“We’ve still got a way to go to get semillon exactly where we want it. It’s been a long program and we’re close to the end of that now. There’s continuous work to strengthen the district and its reputation.”
Additionally, Bruce says Tyrrell’s will continue experimenting with alternative and traditional varieties. “We’re forever playing with things and the thing that we’re working on now is fiano. It’s southern Italian, grows in heat and humidity, just like here, and the stuff’s bullet proof. The other thing that I’d like to see here in the Hunter is a lot more shiraz pinot noir.”
Finally, in describing what wine means to him, Bruce keeps it simple, saying, “Everything. It really has been the purpose and the extent of my life. It’s in my blood.”
While the original seeds of Tyrrell’s were planted quite some time ago, it’s clear they continue to fruit today thanks to a tireless commitment to the industry and the region, ingenious thinking, and an unwavering passion for the product and the people who produce it. Something we can all raise a glass (of semillon) to.
Words: Emily McGrorey | Photography: Dominique Cherry
As seen in Swell Issue 19. Grab your copy here
