Heart and Soul

Created by 12 of the best-known wine families in the country (from Brown Brothers through to Yalumba), Australia’s First Families of Wine (AFFW) is an exciting new initiative that seeks to showcase a representative and diverse range of Australian wine, with a focus on regional heroes and top iconic drops. The AFFW is all about the land, its people and solid Australian beliefs. It is the heart and soul of our wine industry.

The AFFW, launched at that other great Australian icon, the Sydney Opera House, in 2009, includes some of Australia’s most famous wineries — they dominate the shelves in stores and win awards both locally and internationally for the quality of their drink. These household names have a presence in cinema advertising, on television and in magazines and newspapers that is the envy of most local producers. And it is no surprise that with more than 1200 years of winemaking experience between them, the families’ stories are as rich and varied as their produce.

Wiley is excited to announce our first partnership with the AFFW — and the launch of a beautifully packaged premium paperback that perfectly captures the Heart & Soul of this unique group. Written with passion by Graeme Lofts and with a foreword by Australia’s most well-known wine commentator James Halliday, Heart & Soul will provide inspiration for wine lovers and historians alike.

Chronicling the histories of the families who pioneered our wine industry over generations, Heart & Soul is a lavishly illustrated volume covering the families’ trials and tribulations on the land, their ascent within the industry, the inspiration behind their signature wines and, of course, the passion that goes in to every vat. Scattered throughout the pages are exclusive photographs from the families’ archives, wine labels, letters, maps of the regions and sidebars filled with tips and secrets straight from the experts’ mouths. You’ll discover the essence of Australian wine, from grape growing to the dinner table, with all the characters and stories in between.

More than a compendium of wine, Heart & Soul takes readers on a journey through the history, the people, the vineyards and the regions of Australia’s most famous wineries. To taste the wines of the AFFW is to taste our Australian heartland.



About the Authors

Graeme Lofts is the author of more than twenty-five books. After developing an interest in wine in his university days, Graeme’s fascination with wine began in earnest with a chance visit to Chateau Tahbilk (now Tahbilk) near Nagambie in Victoria. Since then he has been a ‘cellar door junkie’, travelling around Australia and enjoying the history and the stories as much as tasting the wine.

Graeme is an active member of the Victorian branch of the Wine Service Guild of Australia, an organisation that was formed more than fifty years ago to provide access to information about wine to licensed grocers, restaurateurs and wine waiters at a time when Australian consumers knew little about table wines or the science and art of winemaking.