Behind the nationally honoured Purbrick family wine great

On January 26, it was announced that Tahbilk’s current director, and former chief executive, has been recognised with an appointment as a Member of the Order of Australia, which bestows upon the recipient the highest form of recognition for outstanding achievement and service to a particular locality or field of activity, or to a particular group.

Alister Purbrick, a stalwart of the wine industry, has been a cornerstone of Tahbilk for over four decades, having served as director since 1980, and as chief executive up until when he recently stepped down in 2022.

In 1925, Tahbilk Estate was bought by Mr Purbrick’s great-grandfather Reginald, who, alongside his son, Mr Purbrick’s grandfather, Eric, found an instant love for the property.

Decades later, when Mr Purbrick finished his Year 12 studies, he had a conversation with his family that ultimately transformed the trajectory of his life.

It was during this conversation that Mr Purbrick decided he would become the first formally trained winemaker in the family, and, following this, he headed off to Adelaide to study at the former Roseworthy Agricultural College.

In 1977, during the reign of Mr Purbrick’s father, John, Mr Purbrick received a call that Tahbilk was suffering due to natural events.

Mr Purbrick spoke to his father about the fate of Tahbilk, during which conversation Mr Purbrick recalls his father saying, “So, we’re going to have to employ a qualified winemaker; is it going to be you or are we going to employ somebody else?”

“And then, I thought, ‘Well, I’m going to go back home anyway, ultimately,’” Mr Purbrick said.

“’So, do I want to inherit someone else’s view or version of whatever the winemaking might be when I come back, or do I want to be part of the change?’

“Obviously, I decided to be part of the change.”

At the end of the following year, Mr Purbrick was appointed as general manager, and then as chief executive two years later in 1980.

Walking into the role, having had several years of technical experience in winemaking, Mr Purbrick said he was unsure of how he would fit into this new management position.

“So winemaking, I was fine with, you know, having three or four years in the industry, that gave me enough experience to do what I had to do here,” Mr Purbrick said.

“But management, industry experience, I had none of that.”

Mr Purbrick said that it was his family’s roots in Tahbilk that allowed him to succeed in the role.

“I leant on grandfather Eric a lot in the early days, and we became very close from that,” Mr Purbrick said.

“If I hadn’t had grandfather here, I wouldn’t have been able to do it.

“He was a really good mentor to me.”

Over the years, Mr Purbrick’s contribution to the industry, as well as to the wider community, has been remarkable.

His dedication to shaping the industry through his involvement in numerous roles has been instrumental in shaping it into what it has become today.

To name just a few of his many appointments over the years, Mr Purbrick has undertaken the position of president for the Australian Grape and Wine Inc (formally Winemakers’ Federation of Australia) and the Australian Regional Winemakers’ Forum, as well as the role of inaugural chairman at Wine Australia (formally Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation) and Australian First Families of Wine.

Alongside this, Mr Purbrick was a Strathbogie Shire Councillor from 2012 to 2016, and has been a member of the council’s Audit and Risk Committee since 2016.

His appointment as a Member of the Order of Australia is to sit alongside other acknowledgements such as the Len Evans Award for Australian Wine Industry Leadership, which he received in 2012, as well as the Victorian Legend of the Vine of the Melbourne Royal Wine Awards, awarded to him in 2023.

Mr Purbrick said he had been overwhelmed by the support, and although he never set out to receive such recognition, he feels a sense of contentment that his hard work has been acknowledged.

“Without the expectation there, it’s pretty humbling to receive it,” Mr Purbrick said.

“Having said that, I’m pretty comfortable with the recognition, because I have put in a lot of hard yards, particularly for the industry, but also around the community.

“And that’s just something I’ve been happy to do, it’s something I enjoy doing, giving back.”

Despite being recognised for his own successes, Mr Purbrick said, “it’s one thing for me to get it, but I know of others, particularly in our industry who are as, if not more, deserving than me, so I think we need to rectify that over the coming years”.

Mr Purbrick attributes much of his success to the inspiration and guidance he received from others in the industry, highlighting the power of mentorship.

“Everyone should consider having at least one mentor in their life, someone they really respect, who’s knowledgeable in whatever area it is that you need them to be knowledgeable in,” Mr Purbrick said.

“It’s having the discussion, they share their knowledge and expertise, and then it’s up to you to make the decision of what you want to do.

“Wherever you are in life, whatever you’re doing, you owe it to yourself to secure at least one mentor.”

With Tahbilk coming into its 100th year of Purbrick family ownership, and Mr Purbrick doing his best to retire from a business that is heavily embedded into his life, he says he hopes the future of Tahbilk entwines directly with that of his family’s.

“It’s not just important to me, it’s important to my brother and sister, who are directors but don’t work within the business,” Mr Purbrick said.

“We are all of like mind; Tahbilk is part of the family fabric.

“The Purbrick family without Tahbilk, or Tahbilk without the Purbrick family, it just doesn’t make sense.

“We’re stronger together.”