Brown Brothers Milawa Vineyard

Infobox_Company
company_name = Brown Brothers Milawa Vineyard
company_
company_type = Private
company_slogan =
foundation = 1889
location = Milawa, Victoria, Australia
key_people =
num_employees =
industry = Wine
products = Tarrango, Orange Muscat & Flora, Cienna, Dolcetto & Syrah, Spatlese Lexia, Shiraz etc
homepage = [http://www.brownbrothers.com.au]

Brown Brothers Milawa Vineyard (often referred to as simply Brown Brothers or Browns) is a family owned wine company based in Milawa, Victoria, Australia. Brown Brothers was founded in 1889 by John Francis Brown and continues to be owned and operated by his descendants on the original property. Brown Brothers makes wine from a wide range of grape varieties and into a range of styles.

History

The property on which Brown Brothers stands (coord|36|27.2|S|146|25.8|E|type:city(300)_region:AU-VIC) was bought at the first land auction on the Oxley Plains by John Graham (1815-1873). A vineyard and orchard was established along with a Canadian style barn to store hay and grain.

George Harry Brown (1835-1913) married John Graham's daughter Rebecca (1845-1915) in 1864 and they moved onto the property after John Graham's death.

John Francis Brown (1867-1943) planted around 10 acres of mainly Riesling, Muscat and Shiraz in 1885. John F. Brown established the Brown Brothers business and made the first wine in 1889 in the barn. The vineyard was replanted in 1916 & 1917 to combat the spread of phylloxera and by 1920 totaled 33 acres including Riesling, Tokay, Chasselas, Shiraz, Muscat, Mondeuse, Semillon, Graciano and Cabernet Sansay (Franc).

John Charles Brown (1915-2004) joined the business in 1933 in time to witness Botrytis cinerea (Noble Rot) for the first time at Milawa in 1934. John C. Brown married Patricia Mathews (1915-2004) in 1939 and produced four sons; John, Peter, Ross and Roger. In 1950 a property at Everton was purchased, cleared and planted.

John Graham Brown joined the business in 1958 and became the winemaker. The other three brothers followed and took their own places in the business; Peter in the vineyards, Ross in Marketing and Roger in vine propagation and harvesting. Peter was instrumental in establishing the Mystic Park vineyard near Kangaroo Lake, Victoria.

They now cultivate the largest selection of grape varieties grown in Australian vineyards and continue to experiment with plantings of varieties not seen in Australia before. The opening of the experimental mini-winery, the “Kindergarten”, in their Centenary year of 1989 enabled the family to give the small parcels of fruit grown on emerging vineyards the care and attention they deserved.

The late 1990s and early 2000 saw Brown Brothers receive many prestigious awards for their wines, reinforcing their position as producers of premium quality wines. In 2001, Ross Brown was appointed Chief Executive Officer, with John Graham Brown retaining the Chairman’s position on the Board.

In 2003, Brown Brothers marked a significant new chapter in their 130 year history with the release of a new flagship range of wines. The new Brown Brothers range was named after Patricia Brown, wife of John Charles Brown. The name was a dedication to Patricia’s hard work and the love she had given her family. 2003 also saw John Charles Brown honoured in Canberra, receiving a Restaurant and Catering Australia Lifetime Achievement Award at Parliament House.

2004 was the end of an era at Brown Brothers with John Charles Brown the patriarch of Brown Brothers passing away in May, and Patricia Brown the much loved matriarch passing away only a few months later. John Charles and Patricia were survived by their three sons, ten grandchildren, and two great grandchildren.

In 2005, following in his father’s footsteps, John Graham Brown was awarded the Officer AO in the General Division in the Queen’s Birthday honours list. John Charles had been awarded the Membership of the Order of Australia for his contributions to the wine industry in 1989.

Wines

Brown Brothers makes wine from a very wide range of grape varieties in a wide range of styles. The Patricia range offers the highest quality, the Varietal range is generally available, and the Cellar Door range includes small batches and experimental wines, only available at Milawa.

Patricia Range

The Patricia range of wine are dedicated to Patricia Brown (1915-2004) and include a Sparkling Wine, a Chardonnay, a Cabernet Sauvignon, a Shiraz, a Merlot and a Botrytis Riesling.

Grape Varieties

Brown Brothers has made a specialty of exploring the characteristics of a huge range of grape varieties. Most of the varieties have been made into single varietal wines, occasionally there have been blends, some (Riesling, Shiraz)have been made into a number of different styles and Brown Brothers has even successfully pioneered some new varieties (Tarrango, Cienna).

Brown Brothers has made wine from the following grape varieties over the years.
* White: Arneis, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Chasselas, Colombard, Crouchen, Flora, Gewürztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc, Gordo, Marsanne, Moscato, Orange Muscat, Pinot Grigio, Rhine Riesling, Roussanne, Sultana, Sylvaner, Trebbiano, Verdelho, Viognier, Vermintino, White Frontinac
* Red: Aglianico, Barbera, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Dolcetto, Durif, Graciano, Lagrein, Malbec, Marzemino, Merlot, Meunier, Mondeuse, Nebbiolo, Petit Verdot, Pinot Noir, Ruby Cabernet, Sangiovese, Schioppettino, Shiraz, Tarrango, Tempranillo, Zinfandel

Wine Styles

Fortified: The fortified wine has been in a range of styles including Tawny Port, Ruby Port, Vintage Port, Flor Fino Sherry, Sweet Sherry, Muscat & Tokay. Table Wine: The table wines have ranged from dry to sweet, usually straight varietals, but occasionally blends such as Shiraz/Cabernet, Shiraz/Mondeuse/Cabernet (SMC) Dessert Wine: The dessert wines have included a blend of the Orange Muscat & Flora varieties and a Botrytis Riesling labeled Noble Riesling. Sparkling Wine: The Sparkling wines are mostly in the Méthode Champenoise with grapes from the Whitlands vineyard but there has also been other styles such as a Sparkling Shiraz.

Vineyards

All of Brown Brothers vineyards are in Victoria, Australia and cover a variety of climates and soil types.

Milawa

Established: 1885
Location: (coord|36|27.2|S|146|25.6|E|type:city(300)_region:AU-VIC)
Varieties: Merlot, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Dolcetto, Graciano, Mondeuse, Shiraz & White Frontignac.

Everton

Established: 1950 - abt 1976
Location: (coord|36|24.20|S|146|33.31|E|type:city(300)_region:AU-VIC)
Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz

Mystic Park

Established: 1968
Location: (coord|35|36|S|143|45|E|type:city(300)_region:AU-VIC)
Varieties: Cienna, Dolcetto, Tarrango, Orange Muscat, Flora, Crouchen, Shiraz, Colombard & Chardonnay

Whitlands

Established: 1982
Location: (coord|36|47|S|146|21.65|E|type:city(300)_region:AU-VIC)
Varieties: Riesling, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Gris & Cabernet Sauvignon

Banksdale

Established: 1994
Location: (coord|36|39.6|S|146|18.68|E|type:city(300)_region:AU-VIC)
Varieties: Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Pinot Grigio, Viognier & Tempranillo

Heathcote

Established: 1999
Location: (coord|36|28.3|S|144|47.07|E|type:city(300)_region:AU-VIC)
Varieties: Shiraz, Merlot, Durif, Malbec, Sangiovese, Tempranillo, Petit Verdot, Dolcetto & Pinot Grigio

External links

* [http://www.brownbrothers.com.au/ Brown Brothers website]