Kay Brothers is the oldest family-owned winery in McLaren Vale still run by the founding family, with a history that stretches back to 1890. Brothers Herbert and Frederick Kay established the estate on Amery Hill, overlooking the Onkaparinga Valley, and it has remained in continuous family hands ever since — a rare distinction in Australia’s wine industry.
The heart of Kay Brothers is its vineyard, the Amery Vineyard, planted on undulating slopes of ironstone, limestone, and clay that give natural richness and structure to the wines. Many of the original plantings were Shiraz, and over 130 years later, the grape remains the beating heart of the estate, alongside smaller plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, and other heritage varieties. The oldest vines date back to the 1890s, making them among the most treasured old-vine resources in McLaren Vale.
From the very beginning, Kay Brothers has been renowned for its traditional methods. The winery still uses open slate fermenters — original to the estate — and a basket press dating back over a century. This combination of old-world craftsmanship and minimal intervention has given Kay Brothers wines their hallmark style: robust, deeply flavoured, and built for ageing, yet always balanced by McLaren Vale’s natural generosity.
The flagship wines are centred on Shiraz. Block 6 Shiraz, from vines planted in 1892, is the jewel of the estate and one of the most iconic single-vineyard wines in Australia, prized for its concentration, power, and longevity. Alongside it, the Amery Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon offer classic McLaren Vale character at more accessible levels, while small-batch releases highlight the estate’s experimentation with different sites and styles.
Today, under the stewardship of Colin Kay and the next generation of the family, Kay Brothers continues to honour its legacy while embracing sustainability and careful vineyard management. The estate’s wines remain benchmarks for traditional McLaren Vale craftsmanship — bold, long-lived reds that speak of history, heritage, and a deep connection to their land.