The Australian Ark

Finalist: Best in the World – Wine Book – GOURMAND Awards 2024

The Australian Ark is a landmark history of the Australian wine industry. Documenting the times of key people and events from the first days of white settlement to the present day, this three-volume work promises to become the reference of Australian wine history for decades to come. Easy to read, beautifully researched and substantial in scale, The Australian Ark reveals a far more ambitious and fascinating story than previously told. Many observers of the mid-19th Century believed that Australia would become the France of the Southern Hemisphere. Although it would never achieve the same level of wealth as wool, coal and iron ore, wine has always been near the centre of influence and power throughout Australia’s rich and storied past.

Author Andrew Caillard MW, one of the most authoritative wine experts in Australia, has been a central figure in shaping the nation's fine wine agenda for over 40 years. A direct descendant of South Australia’s Reynell family and a co-founder of auction house Langton’s, Andrew Caillard has held a lifelong fascination for industry ambitions, Australia’s wine families and the country’s social, economic and political history.

The Australian Ark integrates all these strands with pace, energy and empathy. Geoffrey Robertson AO KC, Australian human rights barrister, academic, author, and broadcaster, introduces The Australian Ark as:

‘a lengthy and scholastic work [comprising] an enthusiastic tale of an industry we can be proud of.’

It is a romantic and magnificent story of challenges and heartbreaks, a story of young ambitions in an ancient land, and the development of a truly unique and fascinating wine culture.

Volume 1: 1788–1900, The Colonial Era

Volume 2: 1901­–1983, Federation to the Modern Era

Volume 3: 1983–present day, Contemporary Times – Recollections and Perspectives

Also included in the work is a Canon of Australian Wine and the fascinating stories behind these labels is intertwined through the narrative. This is not a definitive list of the country’s most important wines and vineyards, but it reveals the overall pattern of development of fine Australian wine and will hopefully spark passionate debate long into the future.

About the Author

Andrew Caillard MW (Master of Wine) is the author of several books, including Penfolds: The Rewards of Patience (six editions), Imagining Coonawarra, A Travel Through Time (the history of leading Spanish winery Marques de Riscal), The Essence of Dreams (the history of the Mornington Peninsula’s wine industry), and co-authored educational books Australian Wine and A Taste Around the World of Wine.

He is also editor of The Wine Journal, which draws on Andrew’s periodical publication, The Vintage Journal, containing research, experience and tasting expertise gathered during over 40 years working in the secondary market, the corporate retail world, the wine media, film and painting.