The Tulloch Family

James Alexander’s father, also James, immigrated to Australia from his homeland of Scotland in 1838 and settled in Camberwell. James Alexander Tulloch was born in 1841 and was the father of the founder of Tulloch Wines, John Younie Tulloch. James Alexander was primarily a grazier in the Singleton area of the Hunter Valley.

In 1895 James Alexander’s son, John Younie owned the Branxton General Store and accepted an unusual settlement for a debt – a 43 acre property in nearby Pokolbin. Tulloch took an immediate liking to the property and the 5 acres of neglected Shiraz vines it contained. Renaming the parcel of land, ‘Glen Elgin’, he rejuvenated the vines and within a year produced his first vintage of a single hogshead of red wine.

By the 1920s J.Y. Tulloch had established himself as the largest vigneron in the Hunter and in 1938 he named the company J.Y. Tulloch & Sons Pty Ltd. He was survived by five sons (Hector, Roy, Jim, Alec & Keith) and four daughters (Dorothy, Jean, Marjorie & Kathleen).

Following John Younie’s death in 1940 the eldest of his five sons, Hector Tulloch, took over the reins of the family company and became Managing Director of J.Y. Tulloch & Sons P/L.

Hector was integral in bringing the family name to prominence during this period, particularly throughout the 1950s when he developed the famous Pokolbin Dry Red and Hunter River White labels. Hector’s legacy lives on in the Australian wine industry as a pioneering Hunter Valley winemaker. He was survived by a son, Jay Tulloch and a daughter, Helen.

Eileen Mary married Hector Tulloch in 1941 and passed away a month after the new Tulloch Cellar Door opened in January 2004. Eileen partnered Hector in bringing the Tulloch label to prominence in the 1950’s and is remembered as a gracious hostess who contributed to the hospitable reputation afforded to the wine industry. Eileen and Hector are survived by two children, Jay and Helen and eight grandchildren. The E.M. Limited Release Chardonnay is named in her honour.

In 1965 Hector Tulloch passed away and in 1969 J.Y. Tulloch & Sons P/L was sold outside of the family for the first time. In 1973 Jay Tulloch became General Manager where he remained until he tired of life in a large multinational company and retired from Southcorp and started the JYT Wine Company in 1997 with his wife. In 2001 the opportunity arose to buy back the old family company, J.Y. Tulloch & Sons P/L and unable to resist and with interest from long term business associates, the new era of J.Y. Tulloch & Sons began, with Jay once again at its helm.

A respected member of the Australian wine industry, Jay Tulloch has continued his families’ proud tradition of viticulture and has contributed enormously to the shaping of the Hunter region along the way. He was inducted as a Hunter Valley Living Legend in 2009.

Julia and Jay Tulloch have been married for over 40 years, during which time she has made a substantial contribution to the promotional support of the Tulloch brand and continues as an integral part of the company. The Limited Release Julia Semillon is named in her honour. Julia and Jay are parents to four children (Victoria, Justina, and twins Christina and Jock) and has seven grandchildren.

Christina Tulloch is the great granddaughter of the original founder and the youngest daughter of Jay & Julia Tulloch. She is now the fourth generation of the family to be involved in the business in her capacity as Tulloch Wines CEO. Christina first started work with Tulloch in 2003 as Cellar Door Manager, following a past in journalism, marketing and public relations. Christina and her husband, Alex, have a daughter, Evie and a son William.