Mary Penfold
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Mary Penfold
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Narrated by:
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Elizabeth Parisi
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By:
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Grantlee Kieza
About this listen
Mary Penfold packed up her baby daughter in England in 1844 to follow her husband Dr Christopher Rawson Penfold as he chased his dream of starting a new life in the infant colony of South Australia. The family settled on a farm beneath the Adelaide Hills, and, while Christopher made his rounds visiting patients, Mary and her maid, Ellen Timbrell, tended the grapevines that the Penfolds had sourced from the south of France and planted beside their stone cottage, The Grange.
At a time when women were often excluded from commerce, Mary transformed her cottage industry into a thriving business empire. She expanded her vineyard, developed new styles of her product and built a flourishing company that supplied not only Australia’s demand for high-quality wine, but thirsty export markets as well. Wine had been part of the Australian landscape since the First Fleet, and 'The Commander in Chief', as Mary was affectionately known, helped make the Australian wine industry the envy of the world. Her brilliance as a vintner and great business mind lives on today, with Penfolds Grange being one of the most sought-after vintages in the world.
©2025 Grantlee Kieza. Grantlee Kieza asserts his moral right to be identified as the author of this Work (P)2025 Bolinda Publishing. This audio version produced by arrangement with HarperCollins Publishers Australia Pty Limited.