wine has always been more than a craft
For us, it is a thread that weaves together generations, places, and stories.
Our story begins in the hills of Central Italy, where for centuries our family nurtured vineyards and olive groves.
During World War II, the vineyards near Monte Cassino were devastated by the destruction. Even though eventually some were replanted and continue to be cared for by our Italian relatives. Our grandparents faced a choice; to remain amongst the ruins, or seek new beginnings.
They boarded a boat in Naples and crossed the world to Australia.
They carried their traditions with them, determined to keep them alive on new soil.
Dad was three...to this day, you won't get him on a boat. I think the journey was pretty rough.
McLaren Vale became home. Its rolling hills and Mediterranean climate felt both foreign and familiar. With plenty of opportunity and the determination to create a new life. The family took on work whenever they could to establish themselves, eventually purchasing some land and planting the first vineyards, in 1973.
This was the dream coming to reality.
The 80's and 90's saw further growth, with the family operation expanding across 450 acres. This was our childhood. We grew up among the rows, born into the rhythms of vineyard life. As Mum and Dad kept planting, we were there too: holding posts, tying vines, and learning the patience it
takes to grow something that lasts.
Even our family holidays weren’t escapes from wine. Every trip was to another wine region, so Dad could explore ideas, taste, and bring home inspiration. For us, those journeys were classrooms: a chance to see how others worked and to understand that winemaking is as much about curiosity as it is about tradition.
But the road was never without hardship
In 2008, the Global Financial Crisis hit our family hard, and we lost everything.
It felt as though the story had come to an end.
Yet, as it has so many times before, the resilience that runs through our veins carried us forward. We dusted ourselves off, rebuilt from the ground up, and poured our hearts back into what we knew best.
Curtis Family Vineyards was reborn
Carrying forward the lessons of our journey, using our craft to celebrate, remember, and connect, while shaping the next chapter for the generations to come.”
