Getting an early start
What were you doing at 15? Mary Holt was getting married. She’d spotted aspiring medico Christopher Rawson Penfold, and nabbed him. The early bird…
At 24, Mary, with her husband and young daughter, emigrated from England to the other side of the world – to a colony less than a decade old. The year was 1844.
They splashed out on 500 acres at Mackgill (these days: Magill) Estate - at the foot of the Mt Lofty Ranges; built a stone cottage which they named The Grange (just imagine if they’d called it Dunroamin…); and planted out a vineyard.
Good Medicine
It was never their intention to become captains of the wine industry. The plan was to create a tonic for anaemia patients, but the project went a little too well: their medicine proved to be both efficacious and delicious to the last drop. Demand skyrocketed.
Mary Mary Quite Contemporary
The Estate became Mary’s domain. She managed all aspects of production, from vineyard supervision, which she conducted from astride a white mare (as you do), to the day-to-day operation of the winery. Mary’s blending ability was legendary.
Christopher’s health failed him and in 1870, he died. But Mary was a strong, healthy and determined fifty-year-old. She utterly rejected suggestions that she should sell the business and retire on a pension.
Instead, she expanded and continued experimenting with new varietals. In 1884, when Mary finally retired on her own terms, Penfolds had in store about one third of all the wine in South Australia.
Mary Penfold (1820-1896)
Mary died at the age of 79.
Her obituary in the Adelaide Advertiser noted that she had lived for many years at The Grange, but it neglected to mention her extraordinary work at Penfolds, or her contribution to the fledgling Australian wine industry.
Surviving portraits of Mary are typically Victorian: she’s stern with an unflinching gaze, but look closely and you’ll just make out the twinkle. We reckon Mary knew she was onto something.
