Interview with Alec Baxendale [transcript] Interviewer: Rob Linn

Alec Baxendale was born on 24 July 1921 at the old homestead on McMurtie Road in McLaren Vale. His parents were George and Emma Baxendale and his father was the local vet and his mother a nurse. His father bought 80 acres of scrub on McMurtie Road and sold half to the Trott family. He grew currants. There were only a few vineyards in the 1930s. He was educated at McLaren Vale and Adelaide High Schools. In 1942 he went into the Air Force. Prior to that he worked on his father's property and worked with horses. The main grape varieties were Grenache, Shiraz and Doradillos which were used for fortified wines. There was no irrigation in the area. There were five or six wineries and he talks about some of the locals. After World War II he returned to McLaren Vale and bought a 50 acre block which had been part of the original Wirra Wirra. He married soon afterwards and grew Cabernet and Shiraz. He sold the Cabernet after 2 years. The boom period was the 1960s and 1970s and they formed the Southern Vales Coop but most lost money from it. The wineries dictated the terms of what they wanted to buy. He gained most of his knowledge from neighbours and the Agricultural Bureau (on how to prune vines). Two years after World War II they bought their first tractor and cultivation improved. They did not get electricity until 1956. The yield was about 3 tons to the acre. The grapes in highest demand were Shiraz, Grenache and Mataro. They had a Vine Improvement Society which led to better vines and crops with good use of cuttings and grafting. He only hired people for pruning and picking. He talks about picking and carting. In the 1980s the prices improved and there was an increasing demand for table wines. The biggest change has been hydraulic motors and picking machines

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