Jim Brand

The Brand family is back in business in Coonawarra.

The Brand name is one of the most distinguished in the region: the founder of Brand’s Laira Vineyards, Eric Brand, a Riverland baker, married Owen Redman’s sister Nancy and decided to take his in-laws’ lead and exchange the bread oven for the fermenter and make wine in Coonawarra. He started Brand’s Laira Vineyards, the first vintage being 1966. The business was eventually sold to McWillia...

Jim Brand was born into a winemaking dynasty and was responsible for the iconic wines of Brands Laira. His dream was to make wines under his own name having spent years finely tuning his art with these great wines of the Coonawarra region. It was cancer that thwarted this dream, with Jim sadly passing away in 2005. This dream did not die with Jim however, with his son Sam committed to seeing his father’s dream become reality. Jim Brand is the ...

Coonawarra = Cabernet. True in a sense, but also simplistic. Some of the best wine from the Coonawarra is Shiraz, which is frequently overlooked in the search for the perfect Cab Sav. Not to belittle Coonawarra Cab either, but it's funny how often we get caught insisting that one variety is the best expression of a specific place, grown in a variable environment with so many factors at play. All we're saying is: don't miss the great wines that...