From Tragedy to Triumph Joeseph Drayton

Draytons family wines is one the most well known wine making family in the Hunter Valley if not in Australia. Draytons family is still family operated and owned to this day.

Tragedy strikes before the start.

A young Joeseph Drayton set sail for Australia in 1852 at the age 22 with his wife, 2 sons and new born daughter who joined him on the voyage down under. Joseph’s wife, son and new born daughter were placed into a quarantine camp upon arrival in Sydney where all 3 died shortly after arriving.

A new beginning.

Joseph and his surving son Frederick Drayton arrived in Lochinvar in 1853 and in the late 1850’s purchased 80 acres of land in pokolbin and started to prepared to plant the frist vines in the rich virgin loam of “Bellevue”.

Joeseph married Marry Anne Chick and they had Eight Children, Fredrick Drayton had no interest in the family business and presued his own dreams and became a blacksmith.

William Drayton son of Joseph went on to purchase 40 acres adjacent to the family vineyard and started to plant his own vines and had 10 children of his own.

William eventually takes over his father’s vineyard and now controls 120 acres of vines. When William retires he splits the vineyard between his 10 children.

To this very day Drayton Family Wines continues to triumph and remains family owned and operated.

Drayton Family Wines have endured more tradgies over the year’s which we will cover them in more depth at a later time.

Time Line of Tradgey.

1958 Max Drayton close call – tractor accident.

1979 Barry Drayton dies cleaning wine tanks.

1994 Sea View Air disaster.

2008 Winery explosion.