Romavilla Bassett Winery of Australia

Samuel Symons Bassett descends from #44B Emanuel Bassett of Cornwall as follows:

Emanuel Bassett and wife Grace
Thomas Bassett (b. 1628) and wife Lowdy
John Bassett (b. 1658) and wife Phillipa Rickard
John Bassett (b. 1703) and wife Alice Benallack
John Bassett (b. 1725) and wife Mary Roberts
William Bassett (b. 1761) and wife Mary Symons
William Bassett (b. 1800) and wife Philippa Batten
Samuel Symons Bassett

Samuel Symons Bassett and his winery were featured briefly in a previous newsletter. I was sent an article from an Australian newspapers letting me know that the Romavilla Winery of Roma, Queensland, Australia has closed. The following includes more information on this historic winery.

Bassett-Romavilla Samuel Symons Bassett, founder of Romavilla Winery
(Picture courtesy of State Library of Queensland)

Western Star and Roma Advertiser, Toowoomba, Saturday, 18 February 1922
An Important Local Industry
Romavilla Vineyards Limited

The Roma district has received much advertisement throughout Queensland and Australia from the high-class wines manufactured by the Romavilla Vineyards, Ltd., and much of the credit for the firm’s pronounced progress is due to the vision, energy, and enterprise of the founder, the late Samuel Symonds Bassett. In establishing Romavilla about 50 years ago, Mr. Bassett saw a great future for viticulture in the Roma district, and although at the time interested in other ventures, he eventually concentrated his activities to winegrowing and wine-making. From an original start of a few acres of vines, by his untiring energy and enterprise, he saw the vineyard grow until over 300 acres of vines were being cultivated before he passed away on Christmas Day, 1912. Starting in the very small way he did, it was some years before the Romavilla wines became established on the market, and the late Mr. Bassett himself used annually to travel to the far west and costal districts of Queensland to Normanton, placing his wines on the market in competition with those manufactured in the Southern States. The old saying, “Good wines needs no bush,” is very applicable, but it is not out of place to mention that at last Brisbane Exhibition the Romavilla wines were awarded 13 first prizes, 13 second prized, 7 third prized, 2 second championships and 2 third championships. As the result of Mr. Bassett’s pioneering work he was able to convert the firm into Romavilla Vineyards Limited, the shareholders being members of his family, and much of the responsibility of management, &c., was taken off his shoulders by his sons prior to his death, but nevertheless he took an active interest in operations up to the last.

The firm employs about 20 permanent hands, Mr. W.A. Bassett being manager and in charge of the cellar, and Messrs, Lionel and Kenneth traveling representatives. The grape and wine making industry has developed into one of the most important local industries, as will be seen from the following particulars gleaned by a representative of the “Star” who paid a recent visit to the well-known cellars.

Crushing operations were in full swing. A new crushing machine, capable of putting through 40 tons of grapes per day, has just been installed. The machine is driven by an 8-horse power oil engine, and three men are engaged where 12 where employed previously. While watching the crusher, a dray arrived from the vineyard with two casks of grapes,  each holding half-a-ton. The dray backed up under the tackling, chains were attached, the casks were run along a steel rail, and the grapes tipped into the concrete receiver, which holds three tons. No delay occurred and the dray returned to the vineyard, where a large number of hands were engaged cutting grapes. After being deposited in the receiver, the grapes are forked by one man on to a continuously revolving elevator, from which they drop into the riddler, and then fall into the crusher. Three-inch hose pipes are connected with the must pump, which sends skins, seeds and juice into a reinforced  concrete vat holding 1200 gallons. From the riddler the stalks all fall out on to a vehicle ready for carting out of the cellar. One man attends the engine and hose pipes.

After a certain period of fermentation the skins and seeds are put through a hydraulic press, after which process they are dried and eventually used for manurial purposes.

Many other important improvements have been installed during the last few months. Ten reinforced concrete vats, built 12 in. above the floor of the cellar, and each capable of holding 1120 gallons, have been added to the cellar, and a concrete cooler, capable of holding 1500 gallons, was being put down at the time, and two 10,000 gallons concrete storage tanks. The whole floor of the cellar, nearly two acres, has all been concreted, over 150 tons of cement having been used on this and the vats. After going into the cooler the must (unfermented wine) is placed in vats until it reaches a certain temperature and shows a certain percentage of sugar. Mr. Bassett explained that owing to the wet weather that had been experienced special attention had to be given, and this was also necessary when a particular class of wine was required.

The cellar contained about 100,000 gallons of wine before the present vintage, some of it being ten years old. It was expected that the present vintage would yield about 50,000 gallons. The wine is stored in concrete and large wooden vats, and a cooper is permanently employed. The improvements installed this year have cost the firm an expenditure of £3000, the work having been carried out under the supervision of Mr. H. Rees, and expert from Sydney.

The vineyard consists of 400 acres of vines of many varieties. These are constantly being renewed, and it has been found that the cuttings from the acclimated local varieties give much better returns than high-class imported varieties, many of which have been used for experimental purposes.

BassettParkPostcard of Bassett Park Entrance, Roma, Queensland, for sale on ebay

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