Looking Back on a Landmark Year: 100 Events for 100 Years at Tahbilk

Looking Back on a Landmark Year: 100 Events for 100 Years at Tahbilk

In 2025, Tahbilk marked a quiet but profound milestone: 100 years of continuous ownership by the Purbrick family. Rather than centring the year on a single moment, we chose to let it unfold gradually—through gatherings, tastings, partnerships and everyday encounters across the estate. The centenary became less about looking back from a distance, and more about standing firmly in place, surrounded by the people and practices that continue to shape Tahbilk.

The year opened with moments of reflection shared with the wine community. Two dedicated wine media events set the tone. A 100 Year Dinner brought together writers, commentators and long-time supporters around the table, pairing Tahbilk wines with stories drawn from a century of continuity and change. This was followed by a Historical Tasting—an opportunity to taste across decades and varieties, tracing not just evolution in style, but the enduring throughline of place, family and custodianship. These moments reminded us that Tahbilk’s story is written as much in the glass as it is in the archives.

Beyond the table, the centenary also stepped out into the vineyard. A Marsanne Walking Tour, hosted for lifestyle media, invited guests to experience Tahbilk’s most emblematic variety where it begins, among vines first planted generations ago. Walking the blocks, talking soils, seasons and time, the focus was not on spectacle, but on proximity: to the land, to the vineyard teams, and to the long view that has guided Tahbilk for a century.

As the year unfolded, the centenary became increasingly communal. Under the banner of 100 Events for 100 Years, Tahbilk’s calendar filled with moments both large and small—each one a thread in the wider story. From farmers’ markets and wine club dinners to the MFWF x Tahbilk Picnic, Easter scavenger hunts, ghost tours and garden walks, the estate came alive in different ways for different audiences. Cellar Door moments were captured and shared: tastings, laughter, spinning wheels, paint-and-sip afternoons, ecological cruises of the wetlands, and the quiet significance of a Diamond Cane Cut Marsanne. These were joined by milestones like the 2025 Victorian Wine Show, the opening of the new Tahbilk Cellar Door, the Golden Ticket promotion, and the release of the Centennial Book—each offering another entry point into the centenary story.

Partnerships also played an important role throughout the year, reflecting Tahbilk’s long-standing belief in collaboration and community. From Melbourne Food & Wine Festival moments—including the World’s Longest Lunch—to commemorative projects like the Western Bulldogs 100th Celebration Wine, and connections with local institutions such as Seymour Racing, these partnerships extended the centenary beyond the estate gates. They acknowledged that Tahbilk’s history has always been intertwined with the people, regions and communities around it.

As the year drew to a close, a plaque unveiling marked the formal conclusion of the centenary celebrations. Simple and grounded, it served not as an ending, but as a marker—recognising 100 years of Purbrick family ownership while quietly affirming what comes next. The plaque sits as a reminder that Tahbilk’s story is ongoing, shaped daily by vineyard work, winemaking decisions, hospitality, conservation and care.

Ultimately, the centenary was not about commemorating the past in isolation. It was about honouring continuity—of family, of place, of values—and inviting others to share in that legacy. The events of 2025 offered many ways to engage with Tahbilk’s story, but the message remained consistent: stewardship is lived over time, and history is something we carry forward together.