Bruce Tyrrell
MAKING HISTORY
Bruce Tyrrell is a major force in Australian wine. The fourth-generation winemaker and managing director of Tyrrell’s Wines is behind one of the world’s best white wines.
The Tyrrell family’s world-renowned Vat 1 Hunter Valley Semillon – first made in the early 1960s. Because what makes this already unique wine so special is the few years it spends in the bottle before release, transforming it from zesty and crisp to deeply golden and complex. That’s where the magic happens, according to Bruce.
The making of an icon
As a young man, Bruce’s dream of playing rugby for Australia ended when he busted his knee, so he turned to winemaking – and Australian wine was all the better for it. He joined the family business full time in 1974, when he was 23. Hunter Valley Semillon has been a driving force in his life ever since.
“In the mid-90s, Andrew Spinaze, our chief winemaker, and I realised we were going to be among the few really lucky people who got to work with a product that was truly unique,” says Bruce. “Nothing like Hunter Valley Semillon exists anywhere else in the world. And we’ve dedicated a large majority of our lives to that variety.”
Tyrrell’s is one of Australia’s oldest family-run wineries, established in 1858. The original slab hut still stands.
Bruce Tyrrell is a major force in Australian wine. The fourth-generation winemaker and managing director of Tyrrell’s Wines is behind one of the world’s best white wines.
“This land belongs to the Tyrrells; this is the seat of our family,” says Bruce. “This is where we've done all of our good things, this is where we've done all of our dumb things. So, this original bit of property is sacred to us.”
On the road to producing world-class wines, Bruce left an indelible mark on the Australian wine community. He’s received an Order of Australia medal and been named a Hunter Valley Living Legend at the Hunter Valley Wine Industry Awards. Under his watch, Tyrrell’s wines have won too many awards to list.
He’s achieved his success alongside his wife, Pauline, and now their children – Jane, John and Chris – work in the family business. Bruce has high hopes for the sixth generation too – his eldest grandson’s first word was ‘tractor’.
“I’d like my legacy to be that the family’s still here, that’s number one,” says Bruce. “Number two is putting Hunter Semillon into a place where it’s recognised worldwide as one of the great wines of the world.”
“Nothing like Hunter Valley Semillon exists anywhere else in the world. And I’ve dedicated a large majority of my life to that variety.”
– Bruce Tyrrell
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