We are a proud family of winemakers - with a history which dates back over one hundred and thirty years. Our family ties go deep and we always stand together with an unconditional dedication and commitment that's seen us through thick and thin, good times and bad.
We're proud to note that no other Australian winemaker has achieved quite the accolades we have. Year after year we produce wines of such quality, depth and flavour that we've become a fundamental part of Australia's winemaking achievement and are today known as Australia's Most Awarded Winery.
Success like ours, however, does not come overnight. Rather it takes lifetimes of dedication, perseverance, inspiration, innovation and a passion to deliver the best.
The art of winemaking is as much in our blood as the desire to bring only the very best to market. We make wine to be enjoyed by all and we are proud that the fruits of our labour are there for all to savour.
For a real perspective on how strong our heritage of quality wines is, just ask any of the consumers around the world who have enjoyed our wines since we began in 1877.
McWilliam's is sold in over 20 countries around the world, while at home, McWilliam's is Australia's number 6 table wine brand by volume (Nielsen MAT 30/11/2010).
The Mount Pleasant range is one of the jewels within the McWilliam's brand. The McWilliam's Mount Pleasant winery is situated on the slopes of the Brokenback Range in the Hunter Valley. The Estate was established in 1921 by the legendary winemaker Maurice O'Shea who also coined the property's name - a name which would go on to grace his wine labels.
The McWilliam family's partnership with Mount Pleasant Estate dates back to 1932 when they purchased a half share of the winery. In 1941, the McWilliam family acquired full ownership of the winery. Holding a special talent for recognising the unique characteristics and longevity of Hunter Valley table wines, Chief Winemaker Maurice O'Shea was encouraged to stay on and pursue his creations. O'Shea brought sophisticated blending and oak treatment techniques to his winemaking and his unique and inspired wines drew praise for their intensity of flavour and significant longevity.
There have been only three Chief Winemakers at McWilliam's Mount Pleasant since 1921, ensuring the winery's consistency in wine style and quality. Current Chief Winemaker Phil Ryan joined McWilliam's in 1965 at the age of 19 and his extensive contribution to the New South Wales wine industry was recognised when he was awarded the prestigious Graham Gregory Trophy.
Inheritance
Widely celebrated for its fruit driven, consumer friendly wines, McWilliam's Inheritance is Australia's number one wine range in the popular under $8 price segment.
McWilliam's Inheritance, as with all wines in the McWilliam's portfolio, over delivers due to our ability to source fruit from a wide variety of vineyards as well as our strong relationships with growers in Australia's best viticultural areas.
Sourcing fruit from diverse regions provides character and varietal definition to the McWilliam's Inheritance range and our fruit sourcing philosophy also creates consistency in our wines. McWilliam's Inheritance is a diverse range which proudly displays some of Australia's best loved varietals that will suit any market and consumer.
Select Series
Drawing from more than 130 years of winemaking experience, McWilliam's Select Series embodies this rich history to showcase elegant, vibrant wines with fruit-driven taste profiles.
This on-premise range, bottled under screw cap to maintain freshness and convenience, includes a Chardonnay, Riesling, Semillon Sauvignon Blanc, Luscious Fruity White, Cabernet Merlot, Shiraz Cabernet, Shiraz Merlot and Brut Reserve.
Crafted as the perfect accompaniment to food, McWilliam's Select Series provides the occasion for consumers to engage with the McWilliam's brand in an on premise setting.
McWilliam's JJ McWilliam
McWilliam's has been at the forefront of Australian winemaking since 1877.
John James McWilliam - known as JJ to his friends - was a true pioneer, having established the Riverina region's first winery. The JJ McWilliam range is a tribute to the man who had the vision and tenacity to see his dream come true.
Noted for their complexity and fresh fruit flavours, the JJ McWilliam range of wines have been crafted from fruit sourced from renowned wine regions around Australia. Offering fruit driven varietals and styles that will suit a myriad of markets and consumers, the JJ McWilliam range proudly continues the work of the man that shares its name.
McWilliam's Sunstone
The McWilliam's Sunstone range of wines bottles the relaxed Australian lifestyle of sunny summers, sandy beaches, social occasions and easy living with its relaxed, approachable wines.
Beautifully fruity and refreshing, McWilliam's Sunstone wines are for everyday consumers who enjoy approachable, flavoursome wines.
Hanwood Estate
The McWilliam's Hanwood Estate range is the heart and soul of the McWilliam's brand with more than 20,000 bottles enjoyed throughout the world every day. Skilful blending from a diverse range of premium vineyards throughout Australia delivers wines with true varietal character and intensity of flavour.
The McWilliam's Hanwood Estate range features many different varietals that have earned a reputation both in Australia and abroad for their exceptional character and premium quality. Since 1981, the McWilliam's Hanwood Estate range has won more than 38 trophies and 1225 medals.
McWilliam's, Australia's Most Awarded Winery, is dedicated to ensuring consistency of quality through creating wines in a multi-regional style. True to this philosophy, the McWilliam's Hanwood Estate range delivers full-flavoured, fruit-dominated wines.
Family Collection
Continuing one of Maurice O'Shea's greatest traditions of naming wines after friends and family, the McWilliam's Mount Pleasant Family Collection consists of ‘Elizabeth', ‘Florence,' ‘Philip,' and ‘Jack.'
Inspired by the first visit of a reigning monarch to Australia in 1954, today McWilliam's Mount Pleasant Elizabeth Semillon is the embodiment of the synergy achieved by combining the noble grape Semillon and the Hunter Valley. Crisp, lively and refreshing, this wine is made for immediate enjoyment.
The name 'Florence' has been reintroduced to the McWilliam's Mount Pleasant range after an absence of some 50 years. The original McWilliam's Mount Pleasant Florence was released in 1953 and named after the wife of Maurice O'Shea's close friend David Reuben. A refreshing and racy Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc, this wine celebrates the spirit of friendship.
Since the inaugural 1965 vintage, McWilliam's Mount Pleasant Philip Shiraz has personified McWilliam's distinguished family history which dates back more than 130 years. Ironically sharing the same name, McWilliam's Mount Pleasant winemaker Phil Ryan, has led the winemaking of this medium-bodied, fruit rich Shiraz for well over 30 years.
The newest member of the family, McWilliam's Mount Pleasant Jack Cabernet Sauvignon pays tribute to Lawrence John 'Jack' McWilliam, the eldest of four McWilliam brothers who championed Australian wine through its renaissance in the 20th century. Sourced from the famous soils of Coonawarra, this exciting Cabernet Sauvignon celebrates the life of one of Australian wine's greatest characters.
Balance
The McWilliam's Balance range of wines was created for consumers who love their wine, but are looking for lower alcohol and lower calorie options.
Consumers are looking for lighter, more refreshing styles of wine that better align to their lifestyle and these full-flavoured wines deliver the right balance of quality and rich taste you have come to expect from Australia's Most Awarded Winery.
An Australian first, the McWilliam's Balance range is the only range of wines in Australia and New Zealand to be endorsed by Weight Watchers. Weight Watchers and McWilliam's share a common philosophy of helping consumers easily track and be aware of their intake of both food and wine.
For more information on where to buy McWilliam's Balance from your local retailer, or to buy on-line, visit tastethedifference.com.au.
Heritage Collection
The McWilliam's Mount Pleasant Heritage Collection showcases the premium vineyards from which Mount Pleasant creates some of its most iconic wines.
McWilliam's Mount Pleasant Old Paddock and Old Hill Shiraz draws its fruit from the original Shiraz vines grown on the famous Old Hill Vineyard planted in 1880 and the nearby Old Paddock Vineyard, which was established by the late Maurice O'Shea in 1921. These prized vineyard sites have contributed to producing this richly flavoured, memorable wine since the very first vintage in 1967.
In 1945 Maurice O'Shea identified that Shiraz vines flourished in rich, volcanic soils and sought a similar site to that of the Old Hill for his Rosehill Vineyard. Once the home of volcanic activity, Rosehill Vineyard is at one of Pokolbin's highest elevations and is defined by a soil of rich, heavy loam with patches of limestone and eroded basalt. This fertile soil is ideal for producing full-flavoured red grapes and O'Shea sensibly devoted it solely to Shiraz plantings. While Lovedale is regarded as a premier Hunter Valley vineyard for Semillon, Rosehill shares this title for Shiraz.
McWilliam's Mount Pleasant is also committed to holding Semillons in bottle for four to five years to continue the tradition of releasing classic bottle-aged Semillons. Every year a parcel of Elizabeth Semillon is reserved for extended cellaring; a decision which has seen the winery's Semillons draw remarkable show success year after year. McWilliam's Mount Pleasant Cellar Aged Elizabeth Semillon is the unique result of the aged Semillon program, a complex, distinctive wine imparting honey, vanilla and toast characters.
McWilliam's Mount Pleasant Anne Semillon embodies the unique Hunter Valley style by blending select parcels of premium fruit to create a seductive Semillon that is both beautifully structured and distinctly regional.
Flagships
The special partnerships that exist between soil and varietal, site and style and vineyard and individual expression are brought to the fore with McWilliam's Flagship wines. Together, they represent the pinnacle of winemaking for their individual styles.
Often referred to as Australia's greatest white wine, McWilliam's Mount Pleasant Lovedale Semillon is sourced from an extraordinary individual vineyard planted in 1946. The wine has been carefully cellared prior to its release, but will continue to build elegance and complexity for many years to come.
McWilliam's Mount Pleasant Maurice O'Shea Shiraz is named in honour of one of Australia's greatest winemakers, Maurice O'Shea. Low yielding vines dating back to the 1880s and 1920s supplied the fruit for this rich, incredible wine blessed with immense potential for longevity. The grapes were handpicked and the wine was fermented and matured in quality French oak barrels.
In 1857, Samuel McWilliam travelled to Australia on board the ship Morning Light with the aspiration of starting a new life and establishing the McWilliam's name in winemaking. Following a strong family tradition he would go on to create his own family of pioneers. In tribute, McWilliam's Morning Light Botrytis Semillon is a decadent, rich and luxurious wine that surprises with its bright and fresh finish.
Elegance, ability to age and finesse are features of the style which is also light, refreshing and shows all the wonderful complexities of Botrytis Semillon, without any dominating sweetness.
McWilliam's "1877" is a consistently medal-winning wine. Taking its name from the year that Samuel McWilliam planted the winery's first vines, small parcels of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz are expertly handled in the vineyard and winery to create this special wine. Since the inaugural 1998 vintage, the wine has collectively won six trophies and 44 gold medals.
McWilliam's Fortified
The making of quality fortifieds is a great McWilliam's winemaking tradition. With six generations of winemaking experience since 1877, McWilliam's consistently produces high quality fortified wines of outstanding value.
As a family owned winery with access to a diverse range of vineyards in rich viticultural areas, McWilliam's can afford to cellar its wines and release them only when they reach optimum maturity. The warm and dry conditions of Australia are ideal for making fortified wine; enabling all the varietals to ripen superbly and produce great richness of flavour.
McWilliam's remains the market leader in fortifieds in Australia.
Show Reserve
As Australia's leading fortified wine producer, McWilliam's has access to the finest parcels of fruit and oak-aged blending stocks, enabling the development of rich, super-premium fortified wines. Named to reflect their astonishing show success, McWilliam's Show Reserve fortified wines are the flagship of the McWilliam's fortified wine portfolio.
Brandy
As the embodiment of the McWilliam's family's skill and experience, the award-winning pedigree of McWilliam's brandies is reflected in their impressive medal tallies, ensuring loyal followers of McWilliam's Max Brandy, McWilliam's Chairman's Reserve Brandy and McWilliam's Show Reserve Deluxe Liqueur Brandy continue to enjoy the rewards of time.
Premium Range
An established, well-known brand in fortifieds, McWilliam's Hanwood Estate Premium Range of fortified wines includes McWilliam's 10 Year Old Grand Tawny, McWilliam's Hanwood Estate Tawny, McWilliam's Hanwood Estate Muscat and McWilliam's Hanwood Estate Amontillado and Oloroso Aperas.
Commercial Fortifieds
McWilliam's has a passion for and a long standing association with the development of unique Australian fortified wine styles. From Tawny to Apera to Muscat, Australia's leading fortified wine producer offers its diverse range of premium fortified wines in 750ml and 2L pack formats.
View the range
McWilliam's Mount Pleasant Cellar Door
The McWilliam's Mount Pleasant Wine and Food Estate, opened in 1997, has rapidly become one of the Hunter Valley's most popular tourist destinations.
The Estate comprises a cellar door, function room, tasting rooms and Elizabeth's - serving the best seasonal produce available, expertly matched with Mount Pleasant wines in a relaxed indoor and courtyard setting.
All McWilliam's Mount Pleasant wines capture the character of their origins and evoke a sense of their home.
McWilliam's Mount Pleasant Cellar Door
401 Marrowbone Road
Pokolbin NSW 2320
Tel: (02) 4998 7505
Fax: (02) 4998 7761
Cellar Door open 7 days, 10am to 5pm
(Closed Good Friday and Christmas Day)
McWilliam's Hanwood Estate Cellar Door
Set in the midst of the unique Australian landscape is the McWilliam's Hanwood Estate Winery. Established in 1917, the winery stands today as a pillar of winemaking excellence dedicated to creating the very best wines.
As one of the largest wineries in the region, McWilliam's Hanwood Estate produces many different varietals, crafting wines that have earned a reputation both in Australia and abroad for their exceptional character and premium quality.
Distinguished by its barrel-shaped cellar door tasting room, McWilliam's Hanwood Estate Winery offers its premium and celebrated range of red, white and fortified wines for tasting.
McWilliam's Hanwood Estate Cellar Door
Jack McWilliam Road
Hanwood NSW 2680
Tel: (02) 6963 3404
Fax: (02) 6963 3444
Cellar Door open Tuesday - Saturday, 11am - 4pm
(Closed Sundays, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and Good Friday)
