The Wilberforce Story

The Auld family history has many layers and William Patrick (WP) Auld made sure very early on it wouldn’t be confined to South Australia, climbing aboard his trusty stead Wilberforce for many an adventure. The pair was part of the expedition led by John McDouall Stuart that successfully crossed Australia from south to north for the first time, with WP lending his expertise as a surveyor. 

WP forged a special bond with Wilberforce, a muscular 17-hand dark brown stallion who allowed only WP to ride him. WP worked in the Auldana vineyard and was a founding member of the Adelaide Hunt Club in the Adelaide Hills, often riding with well-known poet and jockey Adam Lindsay Gordon. A descendent of the English horses brought to Australia by the first settlers, Wilberforce could go all day without tiring despite Australia’s unforgiving climate and was WP’s loyal companion for 37 years. 

Similar to WP’s tireless nag, the Wilberforce range is the workhorse of Auld Family Wines and won’t let you down. Sturdy, dependable and always on hand, these wines constantly deliver, just like Wilberforce when transporting WP thousands of kilometres through the Australian interior.