Tulloch Family
Winemakers over several generations since the 1890s
Inducted 28 November 2007
In 1843 when James Tulloch arrived in Australia from his homeland of Scotland 1895 marked the beginning of the Tulloch family's association with the wine industry, when James's grandson, John Younie Tulloch (J.Y. Tulloch), who owned the Branxton General Store, accepted an unusual settlement for a debt owed to him - a 43 acre property in nearby Pokolbin.
J.Y. Tulloch took an immediate liking to the property and the five acres of neglected Shiraz vines it contained and undertook his first foray into viticulture and winemaking, which began the family tradition.
The parcel of land was renamed "Glen Elgin" as a namesake for his Scottish descent, Tulloch rejuvenated the vines and within a year produced his first vintage of a single hogshead of red wine.
By the 1920s J.Y. Tulloch had established himself as the largest vigneron in the Hunter Valley.
In 1938 the company was named J.Y. Tulloch & Sons Pty Ltd.
In 1940 J.Y. Tulloch passed away, survived by five sons and four daughters. Following J.Y.'s death, the eldest of his five sons, Hector Tulloch, took over the reins of the family company and became Managing Director of J.Y. Tulloch & Sons Pty Ltd.
In the 1950s Hector developed the Pokolbin Dry Red and Hunter River White labels.
Hector died in 1965, survived by a son, Jay (also J.Y.) Tulloch and a daughter, Helen.
In 1969 J.Y. Tulloch & Sons Pty Ltd was sold outside of the family for the first time to Reed Consolidated Publishing.
In 1973 Jay Tulloch became General Manager and later the company was sold from Reeds to Gilbey's Australia. Subsequently, there were several ownership changes - from Gilbey's, to Castlemaine Tooheys, to Penfolds, which was eventually sold to SA Brewing in 1992 and renamed Southcorp Wines.
Jay, with his wife, Julia, extended the Tulloch family with their own four children - twins Christina and Jock, and also Victoria and Jusitina.
In 1996, Jay Tulloch retired from his role as manager of Southcorp's Hunter Valley operations, which included Hungerford Hill and another old Hunter name, Lindeman's Wines, as well as Tulloch.
In 1997, Jay and Julia started their own boutique operation, the JYT Wine Company. Also in 1997, Keith Tulloch, descended from a different branch of the family, established his wine making company, Keith Tulloch Wines.
In 2001, the opportunity arose to buy back the old family company, J.Y. Tulloch & Sons Pty Ltd from Southcorp Wines. With interest from Inglewood Vineyards, the new era of J.Y. Tulloch & Sons began, with a Tulloch once again at the helm.
Visit the Tulloch Wines website Visit the Keith Tulloch Wine website
Plaque location
Visitor Information Centre, Wine Country Drive, Pokolbin