Andrew Hardy is also known as Ox and owns a vineyard that is known as one of Australia’s most important viticultural assets because it was planted by his great great grandfather, Thomas Hardy, in 1891. It's called the Upper Tintara Vineyard and is in South Australia's McLaren Vale, a hot bed of experimentation for interesting grape varieties such as Cinsault, Fiano and Touriga Nacional. All of which are now produced under the Ox Hardy label.

When Thomas Hardy purchased the Upper Tintara Vineyard in McLaren Vale in the late 1870s, it began the seed that grew into one of Australia's most influential winemaking dynasties. At one stage there were 360 residents on the site, tending 700 acres of grapes, all grown as bush vines and nearly all used to make fortified wines for export to the United Kingdom; also known as the British Empire, back in the day. 

Ox Hardy grapes and wines today

Today the property remains in family hands and incorporates 141 hectares of land, of which 45 hectares are planted in vines with the balance being given over to native protected scrubland. The main grapes grown on site are Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc with smaller amounts of Touriga, Cinsault and Fiano as well as 1971 plantings of Sauvignon Blanc used to produce fortified wine. 

Buy Ox Hardy wines here