Hamilton's Ewell Vineyards facts for kids
Hamilton's Ewell Vineyards was a famous winery started by Richard Hamilton in the early days of South Australia. It was one of the first places in the colony to make wine.
A Family's Winemaking Journey
Richard Hamilton (born 1792) was a tailor from England. He sold his land in New York to buy a large piece of land in Glenelg, South Australia. He arrived in Adelaide in 1837 with his family. Richard quickly began setting up a farm.
By 1840, his farm, called "Ewell Farm," had a vineyard. He named it after Ewell in England. The vineyard covered 5 acres (2 ha). He planted vines that he bought in South Africa on his way to Australia.
Richard's son, Henry Hamilton (born 1826), joined him later. Henry bought land next to his father's property. He built a house and settled there. Henry later took over his father's Glenelg property.
As Henry got older, his health wasn't good. In 1890, he gave control of Ewell Vineyards to his son, F E "Frank" Hamilton (born 1859). Frank helped manage the large vineyard. At this time, Ewell Vineyards covered 156 acres (63 ha). It also grew almonds and other fruits.
Frank's oldest son, (Frank) Eric Hamilton (born 1896), took over the company next. His brother, Sydney (born 1898), became the winemaker. They built a new winery and added a distillery. In 1934, they changed the company name to Hamilton's Ewell Vineyards Pty. Ltd.
Eric's son, Robert (born 1926), became the head of the company in 1967. His uncle, Sydney Hamilton, continued as the winemaker.
The Wines They Made
Hamiltons Ewell vineyards grew red and white grapes. They used grapes like Grenache for red wines. For white wines, they used Pedro Ximenes. They sold their wines as Chablis and Moselle.
In 1841, the vineyard made South Australia's first wine to be sold. They also started making strong, sweet wines called fortified wines. These included Sauterne and brandy.
In 1958, the company bought the Bridgewater Mill. They used this mill to age their table wines. It was also a storage place for their brandy.
Changes to the Original Vineyards
From the 1950s, the city of Adelaide started to grow. Hamilton's Ewell Vineyards began selling off large parts of its land. Much of it went to the government for new housing.
In 1968, 30 acres (12 ha) of land was taken for Glengowrie High School. This school later closed in 1991. The land was then used for a retirement village. Another 15 acres (6 ha) was taken in 1975 for a bus depot.
Today, only a few small areas of vines remain. The Marion Council looks after some of them. Other parts of the original land are now used for roads or police stations.
Even though the original vineyards are mostly gone, the Hamilton family still makes wine. They bought land for vineyards in other areas like Happy Valley and Eden Valley. Mark Hamilton, a member of the sixth generation, continues the family's winemaking tradition in South Australia.
Richard Burton Hamilton, a fifth-generation family member, also started making wine in 1972. He continues to produce South Australian wine today under different labels.
