John Reynell

Who was John Reynell?

John Reynell was a South Australian winemaker.

Reynell was born in 1809 from a Devonshire farming family. He arrived in Port Adelaide, South Australia in 1838 and established his property about 20 kilometres south of the main settlement of Adelaide in the area that became known as McLaren Vale.

Reynell is thought to have established the first commercial vineyard and winery in South Australia by planting vine cuttings in 1839 that he had bought at the Cape of Good Hope. Reynell employed a young man named Thomas Hardy to help him to tend to the vineyards. They became the largest wine producers in the McLaren Vale region. The first vintage was produced in 1842 and he built the Old Cave cellar in 1845. The cellar survives to today.

He exported claret and burgundy to New Zealand. Reynell was also a foundation member of the Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Society of South Australia.

Reynell married Mary Lucas and they had a daughter named Lucy.

In 1854, Reynell sold some farm land to create the town of Reynella, which has now become the Adelaide suburb of Old Reynella.