This exclusive interview with 3rd and 4th generation winemakers Ross Brown and Katherine Brown, explores the heart, soul, and challenges of their winemaking business. It is a read for genuine appreciators of our land - those who value the rich, fertile soils that deliver the delicate fruits that farmers and artists nurture and transform into that pleasure we call wine; that special bottle that breaks down barriers through sharing and enjoyment, bringing families, friends, and business partners together.
Just like a good wine, Brown Brother Wines continue to grow better with age.
With roots stemming back to a family farm in the 1880’s that also raised sheep and cattle, today Brown Brothers, Milawa is known as one of Victoria’s most sophisticated and progressive wineries. Producing more than just your average Shiraz, they are now makers of over 60 wines from Tasmania, Swan Hill and of course the original estate in north-east Victoria. They also have a small R&D winery called the "kindergarten" located at their home in Milawa where different varieties and techniques are tried and tested.
“You can't have all your eggs in one basket with grapes because you're subject to climate and weather, so you need to have diversity of growing” states Director, Ross Brown “That diversity has given us all sorts of interesting and exciting developments, and now we’re one of the largest growers in Tasmania as well as here in Victoria.”
Still owned and run by the Brown family some 133 years and 4 generations later, together with an extended team of the ‘best in class’, these winemakers are now pushing the boundaries of tradition, seeking out the new and different, but appealing to many.
“Most of our competitors are still making Cabernet, Shiraz, or Chardonnay, but those three varieties represent less than 30% of Brown Brothers production. We are known to get quite restless and constantly innovate, so have a range of wines like Fiano, Cienna, Moscato and Prosecco that are quite different from the others. However, it’s our newly re-invented Tarrango that is about to have its day in the sunshine” Ross says with excitement.
Tarrango is a light red wine, served chilled. Made from a new variety of grape derived from the Sultana and Touriga grape, it is light in palate weight, dry, but with great fruit flavours that make it an easy wine style to be served chilled. Originally discovered in the 1970’s by research scientist, Dr. Allan Antcliff, it was offered to the industry during a time when the CSIRO were undertaking government research into suitable grape varieties for Australian conditions and John Brown, winemaker of the 3rd generation Brown Brothers, picked up on the variety. Ross then successfully sold it both locally, and internationally in the UK market with great success in the 1990’s. But like most industries that reacted with global economics at the time, the high exchange rates for Australia saw the UK market eventually decline. The following years almost saw Tarrango lost, until the Brown sisters of the 4th generation, Katherine, Caroline, and Emma recognised that consumers were starting to prefer lighter red wines like Pinot Noir and Rose again. This, together with the fact Tarrango grapes are amenable to Australia’s changing climate, led them to committing to its relaunch earlier this month, with a documentary ‘Next in Wine: Survival and Succession’ available to view on Foxtel.
Tarrango
“Having my 3 daughters taking a lead in this business has been fabulously exciting for me.” states Ross. “They have an attention-to-detail and tactile ability to look at the finer detail in terms of tasting and aromas. They also have a very good insight into the female market, which is important as wine decisions are now being made equally by females and males.”
Katherine Brown is the first female winemaker from the Brown family who works with her 2 sisters and cousins. This next generation of Brown Brothers is made up of 8 women and 2 men and despite the name, it seems that a strong female presence is nothing out of the ordinary in this family business. The Brown’s late mother and grandmother Patricia, of whom Katherine and Ross talk about with great fondness, also played an important role in the strategy of the business and day to day running of it.
“There is something important about the female influence on the culture of a company like ours” says Katherine. “Having the ability to keep the family together whilst trying to run a business at the same time can only happen with a balanced compassionate approach like Patricia’s.”
The legacy of Patricia continues through a range of flagship Brown Brothers wines made in her honour which are a display of the ‘best of the best’ vintages.
Brown Brothers have recently launched into the low and no-alcohol market segment, with Zero Prosecco and a Zero Moscato, opening up their brand to yet another new consumer and growing market segment.
“Whether people are not drinking for health reasons or religious reasons, or simply because they are not interested in alcohol as we found with a lot of the millennial generation, Zero wines are a huge trend coming through which has so far, been extremely well received” states Katherine.
“Listening to our customers is what we do best, and this is what we have done with Tarrango and the Zero alcohol range.” Katherine continues. “If you're just making wine and putting it on a shelf, you don't really get to understand why or why not people are choosing a wine. But when they talk with you in a relaxed environment like they do here at our cellar door, you learn so much from them.
We’re moving with the times and if you want to keep growing you must keep evolving.”
4th Generation Winemaker, Katherine Brown and family.
4th Generation Winemaker, Katherine Brown and family
Prior to the 1950’s and 60’s, the demand for wine was quite modest and often limited to a few restaurants in Melbourne, and maybe a few academics who would visit the wineries. It transitioned into an important lifestyle beverage after that, largely fueled by the European migrants.
“We saw astronomical growth at this time which was exciting but challenging to keep up with that journey, growing from a family farm to a sophisticated commercial operation. It has been a journey that has caused us to run very hard at times.” Ross Brown states
“Also, if you look over a period of time, there's a new fashion emerging all the time in the wine industry so we have to be mindful about how we can be on the front foot, because there is a five year wait to bring your vines into production, and if you wait to see those things fully emerge, you often miss the boat.”
For many wine-appreciators wineries conjure up a romantic place of relaxation, serenity, and enjoyment. Although this is the case for visitors, running a business of this caliber and scale does not come without risks, hard work and persistent challenges. Other than adapting to climate change and seasonal adversities, another challenge in the industry not so known to the everyday drinker, are claims over a wines GI (Geographical Indication), linking a grape variety to a particular region and country.
This very issue has of late, arisen with the popular name ‘Prosecco’, attempting to link it to the Italian town ‘Prosecco’ when in fact, the variety has also been grown in Australia for some 30 years, in the same way the Chardonnay or Shiraz grape varieties have.
The Brown family
A court case was recently held in Singapore by the Australian wine industry to protect the use of the name, and in February 2022 the High Court issued grounds for refusing registration of ‘Prosecco’ as a geographical indication, because ‘consumers were likely to be misled by the geographical indication into thinking that all ‘Prosecco’ wines originated from Northeast Italy, when in fact some ‘Prosecco’ wines originated from Australia’[1]
How this precedent will affect other varieties moving forward, is yet to be seen.
However, in the meantime, the tight knit Brown family will continue to raise their glasses together in appreciation of their experiences, and the privileged opportunity they have been given over generations to produce these amazing varieties of wine that are enjoyed so widely across the globe.
“Growing up in this business, we've always been in a space of fun and entertainment” says Katherine. “My sisters and I have been so lucky to have traveled the world promoting our brands and we have had such amazing experiences because of this company.”
“Being part of this family is an absolute privilege. Being able to share something that is bigger than us is a huge legacy and we see ourselves as custodians and it’s our responsibility to take this business and take this legacy and make sure that its stronger when we get to pass it on to the next generation to come.”
