Murray Tyrrell's death in late 2000 marked the passing of one of the great characters of the Australian wine industry. From the late 1950s onwards, Murray played a pivotal role in establishing and building Australian wines to their present level, both at home and overseas.
The continuing success of Tyrrells winery as a family-owned-and-run business is a tribute to him at a time of increasing corporatisation in the wine business. Amongst his many achievements he can be credited with creating the first real Australian chardonnay, the ground-breaking Vat 47, and thus beginning a global trend that almost all of us are now familiar with. (Like most things Murray did, the story behind this first chardonnay is delightfully different, involving a moonlight raid on a neighbouring rival's property to pinch the vine cuttings that started his own chardonnay vineyards.)
Murray's life is one of extraordinary character, individuality and achievement in the face of many setbacks and much adversity. David Dunstan's meticulously researched biography is based on extensive interviews with Murray and his family, friends and contemporaries. It is a great human story that will also appeal to anyone interested in wine and the art of winemaking.
