Strong roots

Brian has been a farmer for 50 years, raising sheep on the land his family has farmed for five generations. But making wine was never part of the plan.

“The last thing we ever expected to do was to own a winery and employ winemakers,” says Brian. “I’m a grape grower and sheep farmer. So I grow good wool, grow nice lambs, grow good grapes. Growing grapes is farming – it can be heart-breaking and it’s hard work. But when it's good it’s great.”

Majella is a true family business, with the brothers having worked together since they were teenagers, and their children, the next generation, now working in the vineyard and winery too.

“I couldn’t think of working with anyone better,” says Brian. “Family is everything. If you look at a lot of the really good wineries around the place, you’ll often find that there’s a family behind them.”

Majella’s Senior Winemaker, Bruce Gregory, is an extension of the family, having joined the business before a single drop of commercial wine was made.

“Bruce has made every bottle of Majella that’s ever been on the market,” says Brian.

These days Majella is an awarded winery, renowned for its full-flavoured and age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz wines. In a region famous for its Cabernet, Brian finds it hard to beat Shiraz. 

“I love the way Coonawarra does Shiraz,” he says. “They’re big but restrained. They’re elegant, stylish wines, but they’re still long-lasting, and very good to drink.”

Despite the success of Majella’s premium wines, family and community will always be top of the list for Brian, who has never called anywhere but Coonawarra home.

“The community’s great … you’re never on your own,” he says. “And at the end of the day, we get to eat some really good food and drink some really nice wine. That’s important.”