History
Henry Lindeman was born in 1811 in Egham, Surrey England. A graduate of London's famous St. Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College. He discovered winemaking while traveling through Europe in the late 1830s.
In 1840, Dr Lindeman and his new wife Eliza Bramball set off on a voyage to start a new life in Australia.
In 1843, Dr Lindeman planted the first vines on his 816-acre property 'Cawarra' deep in the Hunter Valley. There in the rich soils of the Paterson River flats, he planted Riesling, Verdelho and Shiraz grapewines an set about building a cottage, a winery and a cellar to age his wines until they were ready for release.
In 1850, with seven years of winemaking under his belt and barely a drop consumed, Dr Lindeman's cellar was set on fire by an arsonist and destroyed. Not to be deterred from his passion of winemaking, he is believed to have set out to nearby gold mines to work as a doctor, recover his fortune and in 1853 was able to successfully rebuild his wine business.
In 1858, Lindeman's exported its first wine, introducing the Lindeman's Cawarra Claret to the UK.
By 1862, Lindeman's wines were being exhibited widely around the world. It was also in 1982 that Lindeman's Cawarra gained international recognition at the International Exhibition, London. The accolades and awards that continued to follow founded Lindeman's now global renown.
By the 1860s, Dr Lindeman was an advocate of sourcing the best fruit from neighbouring vineyards. And in time. Other wine growing regions. The cross-regional sourcing helped to meet increasing demand and consistently deliver high quality wines regardless of vintage challenges, regional variation and the changing tastes of consumers.
On 23 May 1881, aged 70, Dr Lindeman sadly passed away at the Cawarra homestead. His sons continued the family business: Charles as manager, Arthur as winemaker and Henry as wine taster. From then, the business was fully in the care of the Lindeman sons and continued to flourish.