Hardys

Thomas Hardy, our pioneer, founder and first generation family member, leaves Devon for Australia. Upon arrival, Thomas finds work with John Reynell, South Australia’s first winemaker.

Thomas marries Johanna and his vision and passion for winemaking leads him to purchase his first property, Bankside. Bankside allows for Thomas to put his vision of creating ‘wines that will be prized in the markets of the world’ into practice.

Four years after planting his first vines, Thomas produces his first Bankside vintage and becomes one of the first exporters of Australian wine. Thomas’ wines continue to demonstrate their quality, making history by being the first Australian wines to be awarded two prestigious Gold medals at the International Wine Shows in Bordeaux, 1882 and Paris,1889.

In order to continue his expansion and further the vision he had for his wines, Thomas Hardy officially takes his sons into the family business, becoming Thomas Hardy & Sons.

The Bankside cellars are destroyed by fire, with the loss of every drop of wine. Two days short of his 82nd birthday, our founder, Thomas Hardy dies. His son, Robert Burrough Hardy (second generation), takes over the family business, continuing the legacy of his father.

Tom Mayfield Hardy (third generation), Thomas Hardy’s grandson, is tragically killed in a plane crash. Following his death, Tom’s wife, Eileen Hardy, and his cousin, Kenneth Hardy, take the reins of the business.

The townsfolk of McLaren Vale erect a monument to thank Thomas Hardy for bringing prosperity to the region.

Thomas Walter Hardy (fourth generation), Tom and Eileen Hardy’s eldest son, becomes the fourth generation of the Hardy family to enter the family business.

After managing the McLaren Vale vineyards and winery for 66 years, Thomas Hardy Nottage retires. As a tribute to his dedication, a vineyard at Tintara is named after him. This vineyard gives birth to a range of wines that have since become as well loved as its namesake. As we usher in our centenary, a large celebration is held at the house of Eileen Hardy (third generation), whose dedication to the family business has seen her become the grand matriarch of Hardys Wines.

Throughout our 160 years of winemaking history, Hardys has built a tradition of great endeavour in winemaking. A succession of winemakers have followed in the footsteps of our founder, Thomas Hardy, whose vision was ‘to produce wines which will be prized in the markets of the world’ by showing outstanding innovation and resourcefulness, directed at making wines of quality and character.

We continue the great Australian blending tradition, between regions and varieties, to make wines of character and complexity with the positive hallmarks that the world has come to expect from Australia.

As current and future winemakers and viticulturalists enjoy the challenge of grape growing and winemaking, the ongoing success and enjoyment of Hardys wines around the world will be assured for decades ahead.

Hardys, the UK’s largest wine brand, is proud to announce a major partnership with England Cricket. The three-year sponsorship deal will see Hardys as the official wine partner of England Cricket and a presence for the brand throughout England’s international fixtures this summer. The sponsorship will be supported by a fully integrated campaign including ATL advertising, digital, PR, in-ground experiential, social media and in-store activation.

This partnership is an exciting move for Hardys with cricket seen as a natural environment for the brand – a sport sharing many of the same values. Both Hardys and England Cricket have rich histories steeped in heritage and tradition, and cricket provides Hardys the opportunity to increase its brand exposure with UK cricket fans, particularly of its premium wines.

Fifth generation Hardy family member William (Bill) Hardy commented, “We are very excited to partner with England Cricket. It is a sport close to my heart and has been enjoyed by the many generations of the Hardy family.”

The rich heritage of Hardys will be brought to life for consumers through experiential activations at England’s international fixtures played in the UK and a national consumer ticket giveaway on bottles, alongside an integrated digital & PR campaign. Hardys is also launching the ‘1853 Club’ which will give cricket fans the opportunity to buy premium level Hardys wine, which has limited availability in the UK. The synergy between Hardys’ devotion to fine wine-making and England Cricket’s devotion to excellence will be evident throughout the campaign.

David Collier, Chief Executive of ECB, said: “The ECB is thrilled to embark on this partnership with Hardys wine. Hardys is an established brand that will offer the nation’s cricket fans quality wine to enjoy during matches. This is another example of our expanding commercial partnerships, and will allow us to invest more in the development of cricket game-wide.”