Heritage

OUR HISTORY

Building on our French heritage, De Beaurepaire Wines was founded by Janet & Richard de Beaurepaire in 1998. They both shared a love of great wine and a dream to craft highly regarded French-style wines.

Family settles in Burgundy

1,000+ years

Family settles in a town now called Beaurepaire-en-Bresse, near the wine capital, Beaune. Original home still occupied by the family.

Family's first winery in Australia

1970s

Richard's aunt & uncle establish winery in the Yarra Valley

Search for French-style terroir in Australia

1997

Richard & Janet search for vineyard location that approximates terroir of our French heritage

Pioneering sub-region of Rylstone

1998-2000

Ideal location discovered; terroir so powerfully aligned with our objectives, we decide to pioneer the new wine sub-region of Rylstone. 53 hectares of vines planted.

Small batch wine production

2003-2008

First vintage in 2003; small batch wine production (Captain Starlight brand) to determine optimal viticultural & wine-making techniques. 95% of fruit sold to other wine producers

Develop terroir-driven wine style

2009-2014

Embed terroir-driven cultivation & wine making; expand wine production in line with our national & international wine show success

Expand wine production

2015-2016

Launch French Heritage Series (De Beaurepaire Wines brand); precision viticulture techniques introduced; Rylstone increasingly recognised as pre-eminent viticultural destination; open vineyard cellar door in our 1850s stallion stable

Growing wine recognition

2017-today

Rapid expansion into Australia's best restaurants, premium hotels & iconic bars; next generation soil & vine health approaches rolled out; cellar door offering expanded; awarded Australian Wine of the year for 2018.

As the business has flourished, Janet and Richard have been delighted that their children, Amanda and Will, are now part of the team, bringing with them a wealth of relevant business experience. This is allowing the family business to grow from one couple’s passionate endeavour into a multigenerational family affair. So when you visit us at our cellar door or at a wine and food event, say hi, as you’ll be meeting one of the family. And when you visit our beautiful hideaway, you’ll get an especially warm welcome from our wine dog, Scotch!

Our family aims to make French-style wines that are elegant, structured, food-friendly and capable of substantial bottle improvement over time. We hope you enjoy drinking them as much as we enjoy making them!

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