Baileys of Glenrowan History

The Baileys winemaking story began in the 1860s, when Richard Bailey and his young family arrived in Australia.  They set up a store in Glenrowan to supply miners on nearby goldfields.  This store was located alongside the famous Anne Jones Inn where the Kelly gang siege was to take place.

As the goldfields dried up and the miners moved on, the Bailey family turned to farming instead and settled on a property which they named "Bundarra" near Glenrowan. Back then, rural life was tough and lonely and the Glenrowan countryside was barren and unforgiving. But the Baileys persevered, eventually planting one of the district’s first vineyards.

In 1870, Richard and his son Varley proudly produced their first vintage. It was gold of a very different hue but gold nevertheless, and the birth of an Australian legend!

The Bailey property remained a winemaking success from then on, with the winemaking mantle passed on from father to son through the generations.

During that time, the region was terrorised by the bushranger Ned Kelly, who was finally captured in 1880 at Glenrowan - just a short gallop from Baileys.

Far more terrifying than Ned, though, was the outbreak in the 1890s of phylloxera.   Whilst only tiny, this parasitic pest devastated Victoria’s early wine industry.

Many vineyards were ordered to destroy their vines, and many heartbroken winemakers simply walked off their ravaged land, never to return.

But once the phylloxera scourge had passed, the Bailey family replanted in 1904 on phylloxera-resistant rootstock - and soon the family’s famous red wine flowed again! The original 1904 Block, planted with Shiraz, continues to produce outstanding wines to this day.

This Shiraz, full of flavour, quickly built a reputation - and a loyal following. Further plantings of Shiraz, Muscat and Tokay took place in the 1920s.

Recent improvements to the Baileys of Glenrowan site have ensured the success of the winery for generations to come.

Plantings throughout the 1950s to the 1990s have seen the vineyards increase to 143 hectares, with an annual crush of 1600 to 1800 tonnes.

New, state-of-the art winemaking equipment was built in 1998.  At the same time, we restored the 100-year-old basket press to ensure that our tradition lives on in our wines.

The restoration and upgrade of our cellar door in 2000 completed the recent improvements and enabled us to share the heritage and the full Baileys experience with all our visitors.

Today the Baileys winery is a boutique operation that showcases the best of both worlds, with modern winemaking facilities complemented by traditional techniques and very old vines.