Penfolds Grange collection: Darling Point man Randall Cadby to sell $85,000 wine collection

A 72-year-old retiree who began collecting Penfolds Grange wine as a young man is now sitting on a collection worth $85,000. Find out why he’s ready to pass on his selection to wine lovers.

Randall Cadby with his collection ar Victoria Park Cellars.

Some people collect playing cards, some vintage motorcycles; some wine.

Darling Point’s 72-year-old Randall Cadby has devoted years to building impressive collections of all of the above – and now he’s selling what he believes to be almost $85,000 worth of Penfolds wine at his local bottle shop.

Mr Cadby, an eastern suburbs resident for the past two decades who ran a bathroom amenities import business for many years out of a warehouse in Waterloo, isn’t your typical wine collector.

“I tended to be a hoarder of Grange from a young age when most blokes like me only drank beer,” Mr Cadby told the Wentworth Courier.

Instead it was an obsessive collector’s spirit that brought him into the rarefied world of wine collecting.

Randall Cadby (left) with his friend Kosta from Victoria Park Cellars and a few bottles from his collection.

Over the years his passion grew, leading to a Penfolds Grange collection that at its peak held more than 80 bottles over 50 vintages.

Since then, more than a few bottles have been quaffed or given away, leaving Mr Cadby with 50 bottles spread over 30-odd vintages – which he is currently selling on consignment through the bottle shop of his friend Kosta Merkouris at Victoria Park Cellars in Zetland.

Andrew Caillard; author and founder of wine auction house Langton’s, said the collection represents Australia’s history as a wine-producing nation.

Mr Cadby said poor health in recent years had sadly prompted the sale. He hopes the sale of individual bottles will yield a return of between $65,000 and $85,000.

Wine expert and founder of Sydney-based wine auction house Langton’s Andrew Caillard said the valuation tracks Adelaide-based Penfolds’ reputation as “the most famous wine brand in Australia,” with a history dating back to 1844

“The story of Grange is really the story of modern Australian wine,” Mr Caillard said. “It’s really, really important.”

In the 19th century the company moved away from the Port and sweet wines that had sustained it in the post-war period into Burgundy, and a Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon Grange based on experimental techniques from Bordeaux that came to define Australian wines with an “incredible ageing capacity.”

Mr Cadby says there’s a special thrill that comes from collecting.

“The underlying science of Grange was groundbreaking,” Mr Caillard said. “All of these things gave it this legendary status that was built up over the years.”

Beyond monetary value, Mr Cadby said he had a sentimental attachment to the collection that was the culmination of many pleasurable hours over the years.

“Almost every bottle has its own story,” he said. “For example, there is one bottle from my first Grange purchase in 1975 of two bottles of 1971 vintage for $7.40 each.

“There are also a couple of bottles of 1975 vintage which still have a Coles price sticker of $12.99.”

Penfolds Grange from Mr Cadby’s collection.

Penfolds Grange from Mr Cadby’s collection.

The oldest vintage in the collection dates to 1962 and has been valued at around $6000.

Mr Cadby hopes to impart some of his own collecting story – faded Coles stickers and all – with the wine collection’s sale.

“The thing is, you start to collect something, and you‘re sort of driven to get the whole lot,” he said. “It gets more and more exciting.” Lets

Mr Caillard said the collection encapsulates the story of Australian wine.

“What‘s wonderful about Grange is that it first came on the scene in 1951 – and it is [now] one of the anchor points of Australia’s modern wine story.”