For more than 50 years, Taylor's Wine has produced some of Australia’s most recognised premium wines, winning awards both here and overseas. The fourth generation of the Taylor family is now involved in the day-to-day operations, ensuring the tradition and standards continue. Kim Berry speaks to the GM of Operations, Clinton Taylor.
On 21 July 1969, as Neil Armstrong took the first steps on the moon, the founders of Taylor’s Wines, Bill Taylor Senior and his sons Bill and John Taylor, took their first steps on the terra rossa soil next to the Wakefield River in the Clare Valley, South Australia, that would become the birthplace of the family estate.
One small step
The Taylor family had already built a reputation as publicans in Sydney and as wine merchants.
Frustrated at not being able to find good quality local red wines and a passion for red varieties like cabernet sauvignon and shiraz spurred Taylor Snr into taking some big risks. The family relocated to South Australia and the roots of Taylors Wine were laid.
Source: Taylor's Wine
Taylors general manager, Winery Operations, company director, and third generation Taylor, Clinton Taylor, tells Food & Drink Business that Taylor Snr’s passion for excellence and willingness to take risks is embedded in the winery’s philosophy.
“My grandfather was inspired by the wines and producers from Bordeaux, France, so began his quest for a perfect plot of land to start his own vineyard. In the late 1950s, the family partnered with the Clare Valley Co-operative to bottle and distribute its own wines under the Chateau Clare label.
“In 1969, he acquired 178 hectares along the Wakefield River, certain the terra rossa soil would be conducive to making high quality wines,” Taylor says.
“With my father and uncle, they planted 160 hectares of cabernet sauvignon and 16 hectares of shiraz. At the time, it was the largest planting of cabernet sauvignon in the Southern Hemisphere.”
Taylor Snr’s confidence was not misplaced, the first vintage – released in 1973 – won gold at all the national shows that year.
The changing seasons
The successful start set the Taylors’ standard, which has celebrated global success and weathered challenging times over the decades.
In 1978, responding to changing consumer tastes, a section of cabernet sauvignon vines was removed to make way for white wine varieties. They were similarly successful in the market as the reds.
Taylor says keeping up with consumers is ongoing, with the current market seeing a shift to lighter wines like pinot noir and grenache alongside people drinking less.
The 1980s heralded the start of the winery’s export business that now includes more than 40 countries.
Irrespective of vision or planning, one factor a vigneron cannot control is the weather. In 2011, after the worst rainfall on record, the family made the unprecedented decision to not release some labels’ vintage for that year.
For Taylor, the climate and consumer preferences are two of the biggest changes he has seen in the industry.
“At our main holding of vineyards in the Clare Valley, we can see a reduction in the amount of wine we produce due to weather changes. Frosts in spring, a decade of below average rainfall, they all make farming more challenging.
“We are a premium winery with premium products, we process around 9000 tonnes with about one third coming from our own vineyards and the rest from grape growers around the regions of South Australia.
“I am the third generation to be a part of the business, and the plan is for Taylors to be there for the next and generations to come,” he says.
In 2009, Taylors’ achieved ISO14001 certification for its Environmental Management System for its Clare Valley Winery. In 2021, Taylors was the first independent Australian winery to sign up to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) to halve its scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030.
“Science Based Targets are a continuation of our pioneering work in championing sustainability within the Australian wine industry.
“We were the first winery in the world to launch a 100 per cent carbon neutral wine range that was compliant to the international standard for life cycle assessment (LCA).
“We have been involved in LCA since 2008, starting with our carbon neutral Eighty Acres range,” Taylor says.
The company is also a certified member of Sustainable Winegrowing Australia, run by the Australian Wine Research Institute with support from Australian Grape & Wine and Wine Australia. The national program helps grape growers and winemakers to demonstrate and continuously improve their sustainability. It is also aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Taylors’ sustainability awareness came to the fore when it, along with other Clare Valley wineries, replaced cork with a screw cap lid on its Riesling in 2000. In 2004, it was one of the first wineries in the world to move to a screw cap lid for its entire range.
Taylors is also a member of the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation and actively working towards all its packaging and manufacturing inputs being recyclable.
In the family
Taylor says within the family there is a unanimous drive to continually improve.
“Whether that is through the quality of our wines, awards, or sustainability achievements, innovation has informed our operations from the beginning.”
He adds that the cornerstone of Taylors’ success is more than 50 years of producing great wine. There is also a stipulation that before joining the winery, family members go out into the world and gain broader experience and perspective.
“There is a family constitution that lays out the rules and values of the family, as well as interaction of the family with the business.
“It also details what experience family members must obtain before they can join the company.
“Remaining a family business is important to us so we also have plans in place for succession,” Taylor explains.
A family council meeting is held three times a year while an elected council meets once. It’s a good time to talk about the business and share its successes with those who do not work in the business, he says.
With the fourth generation already involved in making award-winning wines, the Taylor family’s unrelenting commitment to building a successful and sustainable company for future generations looks like a great vintage.
