Interview with Cud Kay [sound recording] Interviewer: Rob Linn, Part 1 of 2

Cud Kay was born in June 1914. His father and uncle were winemakers from the 1890s and his mother was a Hayward from Adelaide. The property was previously a farm owned by Aldersey's in McLaren Vale. Shiraz was planted over 100 years ago and the vines are still bearing fruit. Also planted Mataro, Cabernet and Frontignac. His father built a cellar into the side of a hill to take advantage of gravity. His family moved to Rosslyn Park near Auldana and Cud went back to the winery when he was 17. He talks about processing grapes, using rain water and then bore water for cooling, wine was sold in bulk to Kay Brothers and overseas by Burgoyne & Co. He learned about winemaking from his uncle Fred and took over in the late 1930s. He married in 1939. They had their spirits distilled at Tarac in the Barossa. Wine was transported in casks by lorries, work was done on the property by horses until the late 1940s when tractors took over, pruning was by hand, they had 150 acres of vines, also an orchard of pears, apricots and apples. They had no trouble during the Depression and had regular workers. During the 1930s there was a good social life in McLaren Vale with local dances, golf and cricket. Cud was the first in the region to plant Riesling grapes. During World War II he was a tank wireless operator but he never left Australia. He was in the 12th Armoured Regiment which was disbanded as the tanks they were using were too big for the tropics. Biggest changes in the wine industry were the use of tractors and mechanical harvesting and technological changes. Doug Collett was a wine consultant and tested his wines for him

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