Bec Hardy Wines

Thomas Hardy’s great-great-great-granddaughter Bec Hardy is adding her own legacy to the family wine dynasty.

Thomas Hardy would be chuffed by news that his great-great-great-granddaughter Bec Hardy has moved to ensure her own legacy will add to the Hardy family wine dynasty. When Thomas, a 20-year-old farmer from Devon, stepped off the sailing ship British Empire on August 15, 1850, he had £30 and a small wooden box of personal possessions. Within three years he’d returned to Adelaide with enough money from his labours in the goldfields to buy a property on the banks of the Torrens River, planting vines and then digging a cellar at night after working all day in the vineyard.

Hardy made his first wine in 1857 and began exporting wine to England. In 1876 he bought the 283ha vineyard and wine stock of the illustrious Dr A.C. Kelly, and recouped the cost in 12 months by selling Kelly’s wines. By 1895 he had moved past Seppelt as the largest producer in Australia.

His success was the result of hard work, skilled winemaking and exceptional marketing vision. Thomas’s son Geoff bared the family DNA by leaving Hardys (listed on the stock exchange) in 1980, setting up Pertaringa (and other brands). Forty years later, succession planning has seen Geoff’s daughter Bec and her husband Richard Dolan take full ownership via Bec Hardy Wines.

It wasn’t an overnight change. Bec had studied and worked in Australia and overseas before joining her father in 2010, effectively running Pertaringa since 2011 and quintupling its turnover. A big makeover of the cellar door will help bolster domestic awareness and sales.

Geoff and Fiona Hardy will be left with the single vineyard (planted 30 years ago) Adelaide Hills K1 Vineyard, a hop, skip and a jump from their house. It may seem too good to be true, but it’s simply good planning. The obvious next step will be the appointment of an experienced winemaker to carry the business forward.

2017 Pertaringa Over The Top McLaren Vale Shiraz

Small batch, whole berry open-fermented, 7-10 days on skins (block dependant, each kept separate until bottling), 30 months in French oak. A very powerful wine that carries the burden of its extract without complaint. 15% alc, Diam 95 points, drink to 2032, $40

2017 Pertaringa Yeoman McLaren Vale Shiraz 

Four blocks (130-year-old, 80-year-old, the balance 20/30-year-old) whole berry, open-fermented separately. Ultra-full-bodied, the juicy black fruits/dark chocolate and tannins all bearing witness to its bloodline. 15% alc, Diam 97 points, drink to 2047, $250

2017 Pertaringa Tipsy Hill Single Vineyard McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon

From a single vineyard in Blewitt Springs, planted on an easterly slope in '99. Open-fermented, 14 days on skins, pressed to barrel (50% new French hogsheads) on gross lees for 9 months, further rackings over the second 9 months of its maturation. A marvellous wine, fluid, juicy and vibrant, with a very long finish, the tannins a gossamer web. 15% alc, Diam 99 points, drink to 2047, $295