Showcasing South Australia

When Reginald Lester Tolley rolled up to a function in his red sports car, Judith Anne Penfold Hyland was suitably impressed by the car and rather taken by the man behind the wheel. Sparks flew, romance blossomed and Penley was conceived (as a business name) in 1947 after Reginald and Judith married.

However, it wasn’t until 1988 that the Penley name came to life, that it finally bore fruit, so to speak. That’s when Ang and Bec Tolley decided to create their own wines – put their label on tradition.

In 1995, we built a winery at Penley Estate, they planted more vineyards, added some Shiraz to the Cabernet, and increased thier range of wine, producing classic Coonawarra reds that were full-bodied, to be kept and savoured. In 2015, Kym their brother, wine maker and bon vivant retired. It left the sisters to consider their future. They could have sold Penley Estate, but that just went against the grain. 

So instead of selling, they decided to revitalise, reinvigorate and refresh the wine – make it true to itself, gossiped about and socially celebrated at any occasion… for everyone to enjoy.