The "Brown Brothers Milawa Vineyard" is located in Milawa in the King Valley in the north-east of the state of Victoria in Australia. Its origins lie in the purchase of a plot of land by John Graham, a Scotsman who immigrated via Canada, in 1857. His son John Francis Brown (1867-1943) planted the first vines in 1885 and produced the first wine in 1889. This year is considered the foundation of the winery. His son John Charles Brown (1915-2004) took over the business with 35 hectares of vineyards and, in addition to winegrowing, also farmed. A premium wine line is named after his wife Patricia (like her husband 1915-2004). He built it up to its present importance and is considered the "father of Victorian viticulture". Despite its size, the company is still run as a pure family business today. The two brothers John Graham Brown and Ross Brown as CEO are in leading positions in the third generation at the top, as well as several sons and daughters in the fourth generation. Since 2009, the company has been a member of the Australian Family Wineries Association "Australia's First Families of Wine". The property also includes the All Saints vineyard in the Rutherglen area.
The vineyards cover 750 hectares of vines in the states of Victoria and Tasmania with the vineyards or wineries Milawa, Mystic Park, Whitlands, Banksdale, Heathcote, The Hazards and Kayena. Grapes are also supplied by contract winemakers. A variety of grape varieties from France, Italy and Spain are cultivated or processed. These are the white wine varieties Alvarinho, Arneis, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Chasselas, Colombard, Crouchen, Flora, Gewürztraminer, Orange Muscat (Muscat Fleur d'Oranger), Sauvignon Blanc, Gordo, Marsanne, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Roussanne, Sultana, Silvaner, Trebbiano Toscano, Verdelho, Viognier, Vermentino, White Frontignan (Muscat Blanc) and Zibibbo (Muscat d'Alexandrie), and the red wine varieties Aglianico, Barbera, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cienna, Dolcetto, Durif, Graciano, Lagrein, Malbec (Cot), Marzemino, Merlot, Mondeuse Noire, Nebbiolo, Petit Verdot, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, Ruby Cabernet, Sangiovese, Schioppettino, Shiraz (Syrah), Tarrango, Tempranillo and Zinfandel(Tribidrag).
The vineyards are cultivated according to the environmentally friendly guidelines of Integrated Pest Management with the aim of sustainability. This includes pest control with "gentle" chemicals without broad-spectrum insecticides, as well as cover crop and ground cover with mulch and pomace to supply the soil with natural nutrients. Artificial irrigation is necessary in some cases. Vinification is carried out using whole bunch pressing, cold fermentation and traditional methods. A special feature is that despite the size, microvinification is used. This means that in addition to the consumer wines produced in large quantities, high-quality wines are also produced in relatively small units by means of "boutique cellars" (à la garage wines). A huge range of 60 wines in different wine styles are produced under the brands Brown Brothers (Victoria), Devil's Corner, Pierie and Tamar Ridge (all Tasmania). These are still wines, dessert wines, fortified port-style wines and bottle-fermented sparkling wines. Annually, 6 million bottles or 500,000 cases of wine are produced.
