The highly prized ‘Penfolds Grange’ is produced using mainly Shiraz grapes, mixed with small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon. Produced from what many consider to be Australia’s ‘first growth’, Penfolds Grange is regarded to be Australia’s most collectible wine.

Without the passion and dedication of winemaker Max Schubert, Penfolds Grange might not exist today. Max had toured around Europe in 1950, watching and learning the wine making techniques used in Bordeaux, France. Upon his return to Penfolds in 1951, Schubert made the first vintage of Penfolds Grange, an experimental wine designed to the be the first red wine to rival French red wines in quality and ageing potential.

After its initial release in 1951, Penfolds Grange was not a big seller due to Fortified Wines being the latest trend in the wine world. As time went by, sales did not pick up, prompting Penfolds management to cancel production in 1957.

A little thing like management canceling production was not going to stop Schubert, who continued producing the wine in secrecy. It was in 1960 that Penfolds Grange came into its own with the wine community recognizing its quality. With a new surge in popularity, Schubert was orderd by the management at Penfolds to resume work on more Grange, not knowing that he hadn’t actually stopped in the first place.

From its first entry into wine competitions in 1962 up until the current day, Penfolds Grange has been performing strongly in wine awards, collecting over 50 gold medals from various judging events, including the Wine Olympics.

The name ‘Hermitage’ was originally used in Australia as a synonym for Shiraz, which was adopted by the Penfolds Grange label. In 1990, the European Union objected to Penfolds using the term ‘Hermitage’ on the labels, citing that it was already a recognized winemaking region in France. Penfolds conceded and removed it from the labels.

People familiar with Penfolds Grange will also know that the labels carry the words ‘Bin 95′. Bin 95 refers to the storage location in the Penfolds winery which has been the same location since 1964. In the first vintage it was housed in Bin 1 and in 1952, Bin 4. Following vintages were stored in various bins until it found a permanent place in Bin 95.

With such a rich history, its little wonder that Penfolds Grange is one of Australia’s most well known wines.

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