The future of St Anne’s was evident in its beginnings. When Shirley and Allan McLean established their first vineyard in 1972, they were making a brave move. When the young couple arrived, there was no wine making or growing history in the area. But the idea of doing something different didn’t bother them: it was the Seventies, after all.
The fruits of their bravery, ambition, and of their labour were rewarded early on: by the early 1980s, the demand at their cellar doors, and of their Melbourne-based sales team necessitated a new branch of vineyards. They expanded into South Australia’s McLaren Vale first, and then into Taylorville. And it didn’t stop there.
Once again, in 1990, they made the bold move to unexplored territory. Although there were no pre-existing winemakers in the vicinity, Shirley and Allan purchased land at Echuca. And with great success: through cooperation with independent winemakers that they brought to the area, they established the Perricoota wine region.
The undercurrent to this development was the growth of the McLean family. As it became clear that winemaking would be the family passion, and that the McLean children intended to become involved in the family business, this growth was especially important.
As the winery began to pass into the hands of Shirley and Allan’s children, Richard and Anne, major developments were made to increase the scale of production.
Ambition has always been a big part of St Anne’s, and although that ambitious runs alongside a desire for perpetual improvement, there is much to be proud of. As it stands today, St Anne’s produce 4 million litres of fine quality wine per year. Through the concerted effort, and the daring of the McLean family, St Anne’s has become not just a prolific producer of high-quality wine, but a family business of continuous improvement.
Every vintage is better than the last. We might be a family business, but it doesn’t mean we’re limited to the same old repertoire. The future of St Anne’s is an exciting one, as we strive to find new ways to bring the best to anyone who visits us online or at one of our cellar doors. Our focus is sharing that passion for the future, creating a community of wine lovers, and the people from around the world who come together to see a wedding, try a wine or tawny. St Anne’s belongs to us as much as it does you, now, in the past, in the future.